The Snowball Effect
by luna-magic-2005
Summary: It all started with a single question, followed by an argument, followed by a bet even SHE doesnt think she can do: "I bet you can't kiss Sesshoumaru!" And it all went downhill from there.
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimer applies

Standard disclaimer applies.

Summary: It all started with a single question…

Genre: Romance/Humor

Rating: Rated M for language and maybe a little lime.

This is a humor fic that I'm going to try out. I'm not very good with the kind of humor that is popular on FFnet – mine's more self depreciation more than anything and a lot of dry humor, but I'm going to try and put in some of the kind of humor that readers seem to enjoy. So read it, and tell me how I did!

P.s. Why is FFnet acting up? It's taking ALL the page breaks out of my story!

**The Snowball Effect**

**It keeps rolling, and rolling, and rolling...**

**By: Luna**

* * *

Sango was being a bitch.

That was all Kagome could think as she glared at the back of the slayers head as they trudged through thick, waist length grass that was a lot harder to walk through than it looked. It wasn't as if she kissed Miroku on purpose!

A jewel shard had been stuck high in a tree, and since Inuyasha disappeared somewhere (most likely due to the soul stealers they saw floating around), Kagome had taken it upon herself to get the shard. But once she had gotten up there, she discovered it was a lot harder to get down. She had slipped and Miroku _just happened_ to be under her (and both the girls knew why), and she landed on the poor monk and her mouth _accidentally_ mashed with his.

And if Sango thought that either of them had enjoyed that then, well, she was a bitch _and_ an idiot.

After slapping Miroku despite his _fat lip_ and acting catty with Kagome despite _hers_, she had spent the rest of the day giving them the silent treatment and delivering scathing remarks every time the monk or priestess even looked at each other. Now she decided herself leader in Inuyasha's absence and took off in the opposite direction in which they were originally supposed to go and got them lost.

"Sango, perhaps we should find somewhere to rest and wait for Inuyasha. He'll know where we are and lead us to a village." Miroku said warily, eying the back of Sango's head from a safe distance behind Kagome.

"I know exactly where I'm going! I heard there was a village just over that rise!" Instead of asking where she heard that information from seemingly no one in the middle of nowhere, both companions sighed and followed her with exasperated looks and mild glares.

Kagome touched her fat lip gingerly and looked at Miroku. "Does it look as bad as it did earlier?"

He glanced at her lips and wiggled his eyebrows. "If I said yes will you allow me to give it some tender loving care?" At Kagome's dry look, he sighed regretfully. "It looks fine. How about me?"

It was still a little swollen but not as red or as unsightly as earlier, so Kagome shook her head. "Nah, it's alright. Maybe that'll teach you not to look where you aren't supposed to."

"And maybe it'll teach you not to _dress_ like you aren't supposed to." Sango snapped as she turned her head to the side with a sniff. They finally made it into a clearing next to a large oak tree, the only tree in the entire grassy plain.

Kagome's mouth dropped, and even Miroku gaped at Sango as if grown a second head. Growling, Kagome stomped to Sango and grabbed at her shoulder before jerking her around. "Just because you're butt hurt that I got to kiss Miroku before you grew enough balls to, doesn't give you the right to make remarks about me!"

Sango gasped. "Don't talk to me that way! Priestesses aren't even supposed to use vulgar words!"

Studying the two bristling females, Miroku weighed the pros and cons of breaking the two up, but then the idea of a fight that might involve the shedding of clothing… well, he sat instead at the base of the tree and marveled over the fact that he was being fought over.

"I'll talk to you anyway I want to! You're the one that started over this mess over a stupid little kiss!" Both girls ignored the flash of a red haori as Inuyasha finally caught up to them, and ignored the way he stumbled on the word 'kiss' coming out of Kagome's mouth. "It's not as if I wanted to kiss Miroku anyways!"

"You kissed Miroku?!" Inuyasha growled and whipped his head around to glare at Miroku. But the allure of two girls fighting seemed too much even for him, and he sat down next to the dirty lecher and watched both girls with wide eyes.

"What, as if he's not kissable?!" Sango snapped, not even aware the effect that remark had on a now equally wide eyed monk. "You act as if you can kiss anyone!"

"Well, maybe I can!" Kagome replied with equal fire.

"Can not!"

"I bet I can!"

"Then prove it!" Sango now had a smug grin on her face as she eyed Kagome with a triumphant grin on her face. "Prove that you can kiss just any one – and have them _enjoy_ it!"

Faced with the double edged insult, Kagome wouldn't let herself back down. "Fine then! Give me your best shot!"

With a triumphant flip of hair over her shoulder, Sango preened a little before crossing her arms. "I bet you can't kiss Sesshoumaru!"

Silence met this bet and Kagome joined Miroku and Inuyasha in staring with wide eyes at the slayer.

"S-Sesshoumaru?" she squeaked, her fighting stance faltering just a bit.

Inuyasha's ears drooped a little at Kagome's defeat, but stood on end when Kagome straightened and cocked a curvy hip to the side. "Who's to say I can't? I bet before this month is through, I'll have planted one on that dog to where he'll feel as if he can't get enough!"

"_What?!_" All three of her companions screeched, but only caused Kagome's grin to widen.

"That's right," she said, not at all daunted by her outrageous claim. "And _I'll_ enjoy it too. Sesshoumaru won't be able to get enough of me."

Sango merely sniffed and looked away, muttering a terse, "C'mon." before continuing on her way towards the edge of the grassy clearing to where the forest started.

Kagome kept a smooth front, but as the hours went on, inside she was really starting to get worried. How could she make a claim like that? She could've just said she'd kiss the stupid demon and be done with it, but _nooo_, she had to tell them he'd enjoy it too! But how could she even get the demon lord to notice her without wanting to kill her? Inuyasha couldn't be there if she did kiss him, otherwise he'd probably want to kill her too.

Summary and dilema?

How can she kiss the demon lord, without getting killed, by herself, and get close enough to kiss him? Worse, how can she get him to _enjoy_ it? She's never kissed a boy in her life!

By the time they made it back to Kaede's village, Kagome was barely holding her smug veneer in place. "I'm going home." She announced to the group as they sat around the camp fire. "I'll be back by tomorrow!"

Kagome paced back and forth by the well in her time and chewed on her bottom lip with worry. She couldn't back down now, no matter how much she wanted to. Not only would Sango gloat, but she'd look like a cowardly idiot of she didn't follow through. So how would she be able to get close? It was the only question that she couldn't answer by herself.

She walked slowly towards the house; trying to think of ways she could figure out how to get closer to him. She thought of this all this all through dinner until she finally called Yuka.

"Oh, hey Kagome! How are you feeling?" Yuka asked.

"I'm doing well, thanks. Hey Yuka…" Kagome started, not knowing how to continue. Inspiration struck and Kagome smiled. "You see, one of my hospital buddies from when I had, um, small pox, and you see…"

"And that's how I have to figure out how to kiss this guy! Yuka, what do I do?" That last part was with a wail, and Kagome started pacing again because she couldn't figure out why she was stupid enough to have agreed in the first place. Stupid Sango! She knew it was impossible!

"Hmm…" Yuka started, "Okay, what does he like?"

"Like?" Kagome asked with a frown. What does his likes have to do with anything?

"Yes, 'like'." Yuka said patiently, as if speaking to a child. "What are his likes and dislikes? Who does he hang out with? How does he treat them and why do they hang out with him in the first place? What does he wear? What does he like others to where? Kagome, don't you know _anything_ about him?"

"Um, he's really hot?" Kagome said weakly, feeling daunted because she didn't know anything about him other than he tried to kill her a few times.

But she couldn't tell Yuka _that_.

Yuka was sighing over the phone. "_Kagome_," she stressed, and Kagome could just see her friend shaking her head. "So what _do_ you know about him?"

Kagome frowned and stared down at her bed spread. "He adopted a human girl named Rin."

There, that was a start.

Yuka was giggling. "Of course she'd be human, silly. What else?"

"Um," She tapped her chin in thought after a few nervous giggles. "He's the quiet type. He doesn't speak very much because he places a lot of value in words and doesn't like to waste them."

Now where did that come from? Kagome wondered but didn't know. It couldn't have been her first impression of him, because the first time she really saw him he tried to melt her with his poison.

"Okay, so he's the intellectual type." Yuka said, and Kagome's eyes widened at this. "Intellectual types are curious, so tempt him with something that he doesn't know about, or try to impress him with something you do. What else?"

_What else?_ Yuka just revealed more about Sesshoumaru than Kagome even knew. "I… I don't know."

"I suggest," Her friend said emphatically after giving a hopeless sigh, "That you find out."

* * *

Review, tell me what you think.

Luna


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimer applies

Summary: It all started with a single question…

Genre: Romance/Humor

Rating: Rated T for language and maybe a little lime.

I watched the movie 'Bachelor's Party Las Vegas' while writing this, so please excuse me if I use corny humor.

Thanks for such a great response! I'm so glad you guys like this so far!

* * *

**The Snowball Effect**

**It just keeps on getting bigger…**

**By: Luna**

* * *

"_So what _do_ you know about him?"_

"Hmm…" Kagome tapped her chin in thought and crinkled her brows as she tried to think or remember anything that she knew about Sesshoumaru.

"_Um, he's really hot?"_

She winced, remembering what she said. Didn't she have anything else she could say? But at least she didn't lie; Sesshoumaru _was_ a pretty hot guy. He had that beautiful head of white hair that fell down his back, every smooth strand perfectly layered in place. His pale white skin was flawless, and the heritage markings on his face only gave him the appearance of exoticism. Even the _eyeliner_ made him look sexy!

He was tall and built with a lean form tight with muscles, and even though he was missing an arm, to Kagome it only made him look stronger than before. Even though, she admitted to herself with a nervous smile, that if he had _two_ arms he'd be even scarier than before, she might not have accepted Sango's dare.

So what could be said of him based off his companions?

Rin is cute, small, and blindly devoted to him.

Jaken is ugly, small, and blindly devoted to him.

Hmm…

Kagome let her head fall and hit her open palm. The only thing that seemed to attract the white demon lord was blind devotion – and Kagome didn't think she'd be able to do that. She didn't think that she could ever be in his company and _not_ think he wasn't thinking about melting her with his poison, and she had the feeling that he'd be able to sense her fear somehow and know if she was faking trust.

With a sigh, Kagome buried her nose back into the book she grabbed at the library, ignoring everyone else that was busy studying for one thing or another. She was trying to read up as much as she could before she went back to the feudal era in the morning.

"Kagome?" Looking up, Kagome smiled at Yuka as she made her way towards her table. Yuka was looking at her strangely. "I thought you said that you were going to do some research on that guy?"

Kagome blinked at her. "I am!"

Again Yuka stared at her strangely before leaning in close to read the book cover, as if making sure she read it right. "_The Mating Ritual of Dogs_? Kagome, I don't think that applies to us _humans_."

Blushing madly for a moment, Kagome slammed the book shut and slapped her hands over the hard bound cover, a nervous laugh already making it up her throat. "Er, right. What was I thinking?"

Yuka sighed again and shook her head with exasperation. "Geez, Kagome, you act more like a medieval maiden than a 20th century teenager. Don't you know anything about attracting a man?"

"Of course I do!" she said indignantly, her back straightening as her shoulders jerked back. Even if she didn't, since she practically _lived_ in medieval times, it was no wonder if she acted like some sort of medieval maiden.

Yuka, clearly unimpressed, merely raised a brow. "By reading up on dogs? Really, Kagome."

Since she couldn't tell Yuka that Sesshoumaru _was_ a dog, Kagome merely pressed her lips together firmly and didn't say a word as Yuka sat down beside her and tugged the book out from underneath Kagome's hands.

Flipping through a few pages, Yuka stopped at stared before frowning disapprovingly at her friend. "Kagome, you're not supposed to highlight library books."

"I didn't highlight anything! It was already like that when I started reading." Kagome protested, leaning in next to Yuka so she could read what was highlighted too. Her brows shot to her hair line as gears started clicking in her head. "'Adopting a posture that's lower than other dogs is a sign of submission. Rolling on the floor, crouching, exposing the abdomen, lowering the tail, flattening the ears, averting the gaze, nervously licking or swallowing'. Hmm, I wonder if that will work?"

Ignoring Yuka's choke, Kagome continued reading. "'Since dogs, obviously, do not speak the human language, they communicate instead from voice, body language and energy – dogs _feel_ your emotions.'"

She wondered how this might apply to Sesshoumaru and thought about their last encounter with him. They had accidentally run into him while chasing a rabbit demon with a shard stuck in its leg, and found Sesshoumaru in the clearing with a booted foot pressed firmly on the squirming youkai tummy. Was that a sign of dominance?

But what about his behavior towards Inuyasha? She closed her eyes and recreated a scene between the two brothers:

Inuyasha would be yelling something, and after so many battles Kagome could recite him line-by-line. She didn't even have to tune in to the conversation to know what was being said.

Sesshoumaru would stay tight lipped and stare at Inuyasha with stony gold eyes while Inuyasha started one sided argument.

Inuyasha (growling): "You'll never get my sword!"

Sesshoumaru (coolly glaring at Inuyasha): "…"

Inuyasha (growling some more): "You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Sesshoumaru (After giving a manly huff to show his amusement at the idea, glaring some more): "…"

Inuyasha growling.

Sesshoumaru staring a little bit more before repressing the urge to roll his eyes and telling Inuyasha in that matter-of-fact way of his that he was superior, Inuyasha's a weakling that will never be able to defeat him, and mocking at the hanyou stupidity.

Then he would simply glare and turn his back on them and walk away.

She sighed and shook her head before opening her eyes to the book again.

Kagome read on, "'Though dogs technically have no eyebrows, the have distinct ridges above the eyes that move to communicate. For example, raised brows suggest interest, lowered brows suggest confusion or mild anger, and one eyebrow suggests bewilderment. Slitted eyes translate suspicion and/or anger.'"

Yuka laughed and closed the book again and rolled her eyes when Kagome made a grab for the book. She held it just out of her strange friends reach and wiggled it a bit before Kagome snatched it back. "Kagome, you can't seriously think about doing that to this guy of yours. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally psyched that you're over that two-timing ex-boyfriend of yours, but you're going about this the wrong way. Think of Hojo."

"Hojo?" Kagome echoed, clearly in disbelief. "What does _he_ have to do with anything?"

"Think about it, Kagome." Her friend said, "Hojo is trying to _court_ you. He brings you gifts, he pays you compliments, and he tries to help you in any way he can. You could apply the same thing to this guy of yours."

"I can?" Kagome asked dubiously. Somehow, she didn't think Sesshoumaru would be very open to receiving gifts from her. But then again…

Had Sesshoumaru _ever_ received a gift from a girl? Rin didn't count because she was still a kid.

But he was still a _dog_. Maybe she should try 'courting' him with a mix of both human and canine characteristics? It was something to definitely think about.

"Thanks, Yuka. I think I'll head home now and try to brainstorm." Actually, she was going to head straight back to the past and convince her group to enlist Sesshoumaru's help. They _would_ need him to defeat Naraku, after all.

If only she'd be able to convince her team that was the only reason they needed him – or, more specific, what _she_ wanted him for.

Her mood plummeted when she thought of how all this started in the first place. All because of a simple argument that didn't mean anything in the first place! Why did she have to open her big mouth, anyways? It always got her into trouble and forced her to make decisions that were really, really stupid. Come on, _kiss Sesshoumaru_? What on earth had she been thinking accepting Sango's challenge?

And the worst part was, she wouldn't be able to back down now that the gauntlet had been thrown. The thought wasn't even _thinkable_, let alone _doable_. She sighed again and hit the side of her head with a loose fist, as if that would be able to knock some sense in.

At least she didn't say she had to _french_ the demon lord; she only said kiss, and a kiss could mean _so_ many different things. A kiss on the cheek, for one. Or even a small peck on his mouth – if she even managed to get that close in the first place.

Sesshoumaru let Rin hang out with him, though, and Rin tugged at his pants, his shirt, his sleeves, and his hair. Surely he won't mind his brother's miko kissing him.

Kagome repressed a nervous giggle.

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What do you think? Acceptable? I think I'm getting the hang of this whole humor thing!

Luna


	3. Chapter 3

Standard disclaimer applies.

Summary: It all started with a single question…

Genre: Romance/Humor

Rating: Rated T for language and maybe a little lime.

I'm so glad you guys love this!

* * *

**The Snowball Effect**

**And when going downhill, things usually pick up speed…**

**By: Luna**

* * *

Sango was, as previously stated, being a bitch.

So secure was she in the knowledge that Kagome would fail that whenever she even _looked_ in her friend's direction, a knowing smirk would unwittingly cross her pretty face and her brown eyes would become smug. Then, to top it all off, her face would become patronizing and almost pitying whenever they would bathe together, as if Kagome herself was lacking in some physical way to attract the demon lord.

And the un-gratifying fact was, Kagome herself was uncertain she could too.

Of course, she would never admit that to _Sango_.

So she merely raised a cool brow whenever she was a receiver of such looks, smile beautifully when they bathed, and bragged stupidly whenever a snarky remark would escape the slayers mouth.

The fact that Kagome should leave well enough unsaid was an entirely different matter, for if she did indeed fail, her embarrassment would be a lot stronger had she just kept her remarks to herself. But once goaded, Kagome found that she couldn't just leave well enough unsaid and constantly found herself leaving an opening for possible future shame.

It was all Inuyasha's fault, for if he didn't possess the same trait himself it would never have rubbed off on her after so many years.

Their current conversation was an excellent example of the fact.

"Do you _really_ think you can kiss him?" Sango asked casually, her eyes sliding to the monks to convey her amusement at the mere idea. The said monk wisely kept quiet and smiled serenely at the grumpy hanyou sitting next to him.

Kagome sniffed and looked away with her nose in the air. "No." She said shortly. "I _know_ I can!"

Inuyasha keh'd and Miroku merely raised a brow. Both men were still wise enough to stay out of a female argument, but Inuyasha's soft exclamation brought the miko's wrath in their direction, making Miroku shift just the slightest bit away from his hanyou friend.

"What?" Kagome snapped defensively, her eyes narrowing at the hanyou despite his continued silence. "You don't think I can, do you?"

"I think you shouldn't even _try_." Inuyasha said with a glower. "You're going to get killed, and with my luck you'll blame me for whatever dumbass reason and haunt me from the grave."

"Somebody already has that honor, thank you very much." Kagome said with narrowed eyes and pressed mouth. "And even if I _could_ come back from the grave, you're the _last_ person I'd want to haunt."

"I thought you'd love a chance to irritate Inuyasha, Kagome-sama." Miroku said with curious violet eyes.

"He's too easy _to_ irritate." Said the miko. "I'd probably get bored after a while and then get angry I'm stuck here to begin with. Then he'd _really_ get irritated since I'd have nothing better to do but irritate him _more_."

Inuyasha keh'd again and glared at the tree that had the misfortune of being planted across from him. They were still sitting near the God Tree with the well at their backs. They hadn't started their journey yet because the sky looked thunderous and nobody wanted to travel in the pouring rain – even Inuyasha didn't argue when the three humans decided not to start out that day. They would have stayed in Kaede's hut if not for the fact the poor old woman was having a bad day and booted everyone but Shippo out the door. They weren't too worried, for once it started to rain they were fairly certain the old woman would let them inside.

Sango serenely sipped from her cup of tea. "You're just trying to distract us, Kagome. _Everyone_ knows that you don't have the guts to do what you _think_ you can do to Sesshoumaru-sama."

"And what is it she thinks she can do to This Sesshoumaru?"

Sango choked on her tea, Kagome squeaked, and the two boys jumped to their feet faster than anyone has seen them move in a while.

"S-Sesshoumaru!" Kagome squeaked again while Sango was busy getting air back into her lungs while simultaneously groping for her giant boomerang.

Inuyasha pulled out his sword and Miroku gripped his staff tightly with white knuckles. Sesshoumaru stood thirty paces away in his white glory, his stance tall and proud as he glared at his half brother with cool golden eyes. Kagome shut her mouth with a snap so she could give him a pretty smile, despite the fact that he wasn't looking at her.

Stepping forward, Kagome gave him a low bow that had her companions staring at her incredulously. Even Sesshoumaru blinked at her. Kagome smiled again. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what an honor! To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her suspiciously, but he didn't say anything. Undeterred, Kagome took a few steps forward, despite the fact that her knees were growing a little shaky and her palms might have started to sweat. She remembered what she read in the article the other day, however, and remembered that dogs picked up on _emotions_ more than they ever would with words.

So Kagome took a deep breath and looked at the demon lord earnestly, feeling with all her might her desire to be friends with him.

He blinked at her again, his head cocked slightly to the side in bewilderment, and Kagome assumed she was doing something right. She even clasped her hands together in front of her chest in a small plea and started, genuinely, to look at him and _want_ to be close to him. Surely he'd at least see the honesty in the gesture.

If she was honest with herself – and Kagome _always_ tried to be honest– than she could admit that before the argument with Sango she had not been attracted to Sesshoumaru in the slightest. In fact, the only thing she ever had thought about him (excluding the fact that he was dangerous) was that he was pretty. And cold. And a big meanie. But that was about it. Wasn't it?

Her life had always been so busy traveling around the Feudal Era and learning how to survive in a world that was so unlike hers, battling with the confusing emotions of first love, the heartbreak that follows when one realizes that first love never really blooms to the fullest extent, and the bitter knowledge that she would always be second best to the very first friend she had met in the past.

Well, sort of friend. Sesshoumaru wasn't the only demon who tried to kill her after just being introduced, but she supposed she just had that sort of effect on demons.

So why had she been so quick to accept Sango's challenge? In truth, if she had been totally against the idea she would have backed down and that would have been the end of it. And yet she agreed before she even realized her mouth had opened and words were coming out, and now she was wondering if she had been curious about smooching the demon lord this entire time.

Inuyasha had never been a challenge to figure out; emotionally, physically, and psychologically she knew him just as well as if she knew the sky was blue – after all, he really was a simple guy. So after realizing she could never compete with her dead past self, it had been surprisingly easy to get over him and move on. Now she was starting to think that it had been so easy since the challenge was never that big in the first place, thus the prize hadn't been too hard to let go.

And yet Sesshoumaru, well, he was an entirely different matter all together.

Sango – and even Yuka, got her thinking. Why did he do the things he did? Though honorable, why did he seek power if he had no personal desire to be a God – or in this case emperor of a warring nation? He could easily rule over much more than the Western Lands, and yet he was satisfied with only pursuing becoming as strong as he could be.

But if that were also the case, why did he still deliberately bump into Inuyasha when he no longer desired his sword? She assumed that to be in possession of a sword that could kill a hundred demons in a single swipe would be needed to become strong, and yet it seems he is no longer interested in using a tool to become the strongest.

Why did he let Rin and Jaken wander around with him? Dogs were pack animals, no matter what shape they took, so Sesshoumaru must have been feeling lonely to the point where something deep (really, really deep) inside him yearned for companionship that made him compulsively accept his recent tagalongs. Rin of course was his daughter/ward, Jaken was most likely the comic relief, and Ah Uh was just a pack animal used to cart around the little people trailing after him.

So would it really be so bad for Kagome to develop feelings for someone so obvious in need of rescuing? At least to her he did. She couldn't imagine herself being alone for hundreds of years with only a shriveled kappa as a companion, a dragon that couldn't speak, and a little girl who would grow up someday and start to wonder where babies come from, until one day she would leave to find out.

She just assumed he needed _someone_ who would stay with him that wasn't green and would give him company and would actually want to stay with him – not just out of loyalty or servitude, but an elusive emotion that ran a little deeper than that. An emotion that came with a word Kagome wasn't ready to put a name to yet. But he needed someone, and Kagome was determined to be there when he did.

Of course, in all actuality it most likely wouldn't be her, Kagome knew that. In fact, he could probably go along the rest of his eternal life and not need _anyone_, and be satisfied with it.

But just because he _could_, doesn't mean he _should_.

All relationships started somewhere, and Kagome knew that this one would have to start with the tiniest of steps in the right direction. Taking another step forward, Kagome bowed again and this time, her smile was soft and genuine, her eyes a dark, dark blue. "I'm glad I was able to see you again, Sesshoumaru-sama. Please tell me if there is anything I can do for you."

When he still only stared at her, Kagome thought about what else the book had said, but blushed at the thought of laying on her back and showing him her tummy. _That_ would certainly get a rise out of him! Not only would he think her oddly dressed, but he'd think her neurotic as well.

… But what if it worked?

Shaking her head slightly at her own idiocy, she sent him another sunny smile and averted her eyes to the floor before sitting back down next to her abandoned cup of tea. What was her reasoning for this sudden liking again? Was it just because of what Sango had started? It was true that she hadn't really thought of it much until Sango gave her that dare – now she couldn't get him out of her head.

But… genuine feelings didn't come out of nowhere, so the only logical reason was that she had liked him all along and something had been preventing her from fully realizing it. Then her eyes fell on Inuyasha, and she felt guilty enough to turn away.

Right back at Sesshoumaru.

She sighed. He was still staring at her with something akin to surprise, and yet there was something in his eyes that made it seem as if he were expecting something… She opened her mouth even though she didn't know what she was going to say, she was saved when Inuyasha straightened and his fang once again stood proudly in front of him.

"Why are you even here in the first place, ya bastard?! And how could you cloak your scent?!" He yelled out belligerently, and though Kagome winced at his coarseness, she stayed silent. It _was_ a good question.

A question Sesshoumaru obviously felt disinclined to answer. The white demon lord looked disdainfully upon Inuyasha before he pivoted on his heel with the intent to leave, and yet he paused still to look back at Kagome. Heat sizzled up her spine, for there was still a look of expectancy in his gaze that for whatever reason made the corners of her mouth curl up in a smile that she wasn't sure what was supposed to convey.

Whatever he had seen on her face seemed to suit him, for he nodded once to her before once again turning away, only this time he didn't look back and left the group confused and anxious.

"Kagome," Sango started slowly, a light of suspicion gleaming in her eyes. "Just what on earth was that all about?"

Kagome would have loved to answer her, but she'd have to figure it out first.

_After_ she wiped her silly smile off her face.

* * *

Yes! Sesshoumaru-sama finally makes an appearance! More laughter to come in the next chapter, for our little Kagome finally feels up to meeting Sango's challenge…

Luna


	4. AUTHORS NOTE

Sorry Everyone! I've been really busy during my move from Washington, D.C to Florida, and my school is over 10 hours. But this weekend I'll try and post! The chapters are written, I just need to grab my thumb drive and post! Look for new chapters this weekend!

Luna 


	5. Chapter 4

Standard disclaimer applies

Standard disclaimer applies.

I know it's been a LONG time since I updated, and I really am sorry! I've moved my ass from D.C. aaaalllllll the way down to P-cola for a few months of school, and let me tell you its very hectic here! I go to school from twelve o'clock to three, then I have an hour to rest and eat before I have to get back to school from four forty-five to one o'clock in the morning. I'm in the military, just in case you haven't read my bio, so I HAVE to go to class otherwise I'll get in big trouble and they'll kick me out of school and that's just bad ju ju. So you should all be grateful that I'm up at all trying to update this story! Please be patient with me, and I'll try to update as soon as I'm able!

Summary: It all started with a single question…

Genre: Romance/Humor

Rating: Rated T for language and maybe a little lime.

I'm so glad you guys love this! This chapter is going to get slightly more serious, since it's been a while since I started this story and I'm a little rusty.

**The Snowball Effect**

**And when it lands, there's only one result…**

**By: Luna**

Sesshoumaru started traveling with them.

Of course the idea had partially been her idea, but the fact that he actually _agreed_ to help them defeat Naraku was the straw that really broke the camels back. Sesshoumaru was selfish. Everyone knew it, and despite the sudden blooming of an actual crush in Kagome's young, eighteen year old heart, she (along with Inuyasha) knew that fact better than anyone else.

He did things his way. He walked at his own pace, making Inuyasha even more bad tempered than usual, he answered only when he felt the desire to speak, and basically did whatever the hell it was he wanted to do.

Sango was suspicious at first and thought that somehow Kagome convinced the demon lord to join their group using her charming wit and feminine wiles… and shortly abandoned that idea once she remembered that Kagome had no charming wit and feminine wiles, just a biting sarcasm and a quick temper and gorgeous looks that seemed to flock all sorts of demons to her side without even trying.

And yet…

Something _was_ different about Sesshoumaru.

Even Inuyasha noticed it, and that was saying _a lot_. What spoke louder than that, was, well, Inuyasha. He was pacing back and forth in front of Kagome while she was trying to rest from hour's worth of traveling, and Inuyasha was becoming even more annoying as every second passed that he didn't stop pacing in front of her.

And as every second passed, Kagome's brows drew closer together and her fingers started an odd sort of nervous twitching. Even Rin had taken a spot behind Miroku's robes, peaking with wide brown eyes around the monk trying to see the exact moment Kagome snapped.

It didn't take very long.

"Inuyasha, SIT!"

Inuyasha snarled from his position on the floor, then coughed as he inhaled dirt. "What the 'ell was that for?! I didn't even do anything!"

"Would you stop bothering me?!" Kagome demanded with a huff, standing up so she could glare down at him while the spell still held him down. "I'm trying to relax here and you won't sit still for more than two seconds!"

Inuyasha managed to use an elbow to lift his shoulders and head off the floor. "Well I can't help it! Why did you have to go and let that bastard join us? Now he's walking around as if he owns the place and is even wearing that stupid robe!"

"This is Sesshoumaru we're talking about, stupid! Of course he's going to walk around as if he owns the place!"

"He still doesn't have to wear that robe! It's not as if he's getting married anytime soon!"

Since Kagome could only stare stupidly at him, Miroku cleared his throat. "Ahem. What robe are you talking about, Inuyasha?"

"The one he's wearing underneath his outer robe! The red one! Can't you see it? What the hell is he doing broadcasting shit like that?!" Inuyasha growled and crossed his arms and started pouting like a petulant child.

"Rin thinks it's pretty." Rin whispered uncertainly behind Miroku, looking scared as if the idea was a bad one to say aloud.

Miroku patted her head. "It is indeed, Rin-chan. Inuyasha is just an idiot and has no sense of style."

"This has nothing to do with style, idiot." Inuyasha growled, glaring at the ground before him. "That's a ceremonial robe that indicates his desire to find a mate! You know how much trouble _that's_ gonna bring us? Once word gets around, this place is gonna be crawling with bitches!"

At the sudden silence, Inuyasha blinked and looked around the clearing. "Huh? What'd I say? And where's Kagome going?"

Miroku sighed and patted Rin's hair once more when Sango didn't say anything, just stared down at Kirara's fur as she slowly smoothed it down. He sighed again. "Inuyasha, your idiocy really shouldn't surprise me by now."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!"

Desire? Mate? Kagome wondered why she didn't know this stuff after all these years. Well, after the two years she's been traveling back and forth between times. But Sesshoumaru actually _wanting_ a mate? With his beautiful looks, a girl wouldn't really care that he's an asshole…

She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply, hoping the fresh scent of the air would soothe her. _She_ didn't care if he was an asshole. Well, she did sometimes, but that was only when he tried to kill her or her friends – and that hasn't happened in a long time!

Has she not been sending him enough soulful glances? Does she not make him tea every gosh darned day without him even asking? And now it was like a little ritual between them, one that he seemed to actually make a point to attend.

Every morning she woke up earlier than everyone else and started to make a fire for breakfast. Sesshoumaru wouldn't normally be near their group, but the minute the tea was stoked and she poured that second cup, he would appear at her side like magic and they would sit in companionable silence together until her group started stirring. Then he would set down his empty cup by her side and, with a small nod of thanks, disappear again.

Sure she takes care of Rin and makes sure she's eating well (for the poor child really was underfed) but she didn't count that because she was taking care of the child because she wanted to, not necessarily because she needed to or Sesshoumaru required her to.

So maybe she was doing all the right things and Sesshoumaru just wasn't responding. Maybe he really did hate humans as much as he claimed (despite adopting a human child), or maybe he just didn't like Kagome. Maybe she should give up.

Or maybe she could just find a different book.

Kagome shook her head at that thought and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. That wouldn't work, she reasoned with herself as she plopped down on a smooth boulder. As she rested her elbows on her knees and propped her face in her cupped palms, she glared at the small river running in front of her as if it were at fault for her sudden bad mood.

It wasn't her fault she chose the wrong book to do her courting. She was a novice, after all, and had only tried using her feminine wiles on Inuyasha, and it was obvious how that situation turned out. So if someone called her stupid for going from the failure that was her and Inuyasha to going to an even bigger fish called Sesshoumaru… well, they wouldn't be too far from the mark.

But now she actually liked him for reasons she couldn't really explain, and she didn't like the idea of letting an inu bitch put her paws on him. Especially if it was a gorgeous inu bitch who probably knew how to entice a man like Sesshoumaru. Heck, Kagome didn't even know how to properly _kiss_. Again, the only boy she ever kissed had been Inuyasha, and he had been crazy at the time so you couldn't really count that.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and contemplated actually giving up. The month, after all, was almost up and she had told Sango she'd get her kiss before then. What on earth was she supposed to do? It was highly unlikely Sesshoumaru would even consider a human girl as a potential mate, and if what Inuyasha said was true, female inu's were about to start dogging their every step in order to catch Sesshoumaru's eye.

Kagome was nearly positive that all of them would be as beautiful as he was. After all, Inuyasha was only a half dog demon and was pretty darn handsome, and Sesshoumaru was a full dog demon that had to the most mouth watering eye candy to ever walk the face of the earth. It was entirely believable that all other dog demons possessed the same beauty.

And that meant Kagome would be severely outclassed.

"That's not like you."

Jolting, Kagome sat up at straight and twisted at an awkward angle to blink at Sesshoumaru, who stood a little ways behind her. He was staring at her calmly with those cold, slanted eyes, his head cocked slightly to the side. She had gotten so used to watching him and trying to read him that she was almost surprised that she knew he was slightly puzzled at her.

She cleared her throat, her hands automatically rising to stroke the dark locks of hair that fell over her shoulders. "What isn't?"

After staring at her awkward angle for a few moments, he gave a slight shake of his head before walking to stand in front of her so her body wasn't so twisted. "You. Acting depressed."

She was a little nervous at actually conversing with him, but she tried to ignore the sudden butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't hold his eyes for long, so she dropped her eyes to her lap and smiled a little. "Well," she started, even though she still didn't know what she was going to say. "I guess I'm just thinking, that's all."

When he stayed quiet she peaked up at him through her lashes. He was still standing there patiently, a calm look of expectancy on his face. Why did he keep looking at her that way?

"About the future." She elaborated, and sighed when he still only stared at her. She looked away towards the trees, her eyes suddenly dreamy with thoughts of what her future could be like.

"I want to survive this." She stopped, since she hadn't meant to start off so seriously. Slowly, she started up again. "I want to get married. I want to have kids. I want to grow old with the person I love and wake up every morning beside him. I guess sometimes I think that'll never happen."

When she looked up, Sesshoumaru had an odd gleam in his eye that she couldn't decipher. Then he said, "You have someone in mind?"

Since he actually seemed interested, she admitted with a bashful smile. "Yes."

"Inuyasha?" The name was almost spat out, so Kagome hurried to correct him.

"No." she said quickly. "Someone very different." She paused and smiled at him in a way she hoped was meaningful. "Someone very, very different." Slowly, she met his calm golden stare and wondered why he was being so patient with her in the first place.

Normally he'd be swearing up and down that he hated humans, whipping his poison all over the place, and basically trying to kill them all. And yet… here he was, speaking to her and listening as if he actually cared what she said, and being patient with her as she tried to find the right words.

It was almost as if…

No, it couldn't be. But try as she might, once the window opened Kagome couldn't help but let a small ray of hope filter in and a sudden vision of a possible future fill her mind. She could see them traveling together with Rin and the ornery Jaken, eventually living at wherever his palace was in the Western Province. She could see them having children together, waking up every morning together, growing old and…

_Dying_.

The thought was like having a bucket of ice water dunked over her head, and suddenly Kagome felt chilled to the bone. That's right, she realized. She would grow old. She would grow old and die, and Sesshoumaru and whatever children they would have would live forever.

She stood abruptly, breaking eye contact, and gave him an awkward bow that seemed out of place. "U-um, I have to be going now, I told them I'd collect firewood so we could get started on lunch."

"They already started the fire." He said, looking at her with those eyes whose patience was suddenly becoming really annoying.

"Then I should help them start cooking." She said as she backed slowly away, watching with nervousness as Sesshoumaru matched her step for step.

"Those odd noodles do not take skill to boil." He said, almost deadpanned as he advanced another step.

That made Kagome stop. She glared indignantly up at him, trying to ignore that he didn't stop his advancing even after she stopped moving away. "I'll have you know that it does take skill to make those, thank you very much! If you cook them for too long they become mushy and gross, but if you eat them too early they're too crunchy! I'll have you know that either way isn't very tasty!"

"Hm, I'll have to take your word for it." And just like that, he was in front of her, and she was watching with wide eyes as his hand reached for her, the pads of his fingers barely brushing her skin before delving into the thick fall of her hair, as if they had wanted to do that for a long time.

Was it her, or was his face getting closer? She could hardly tell, for her eyes were closing and she could feel his breath on her cheek. And then…

He disappeared.

Kagome only had a few seconds to blink her eyes open before squeaking as a rough arm suddenly yanked her off her feet. She stared down at the small crater Inuyasha's fang had made in the place Sesshoumaru had been standing in, and barely acknowledged when her feet touched the ground.

Kiss… he had been about to kiss her! She watched as Sesshoumaru landed on the other side of the river, a look of annoyance on his face as he glared silently at his little brother. Inuyasha let go of her so suddenly that she stumbled. Caught up in her own anger, she missed the slight narrowing of Sesshoumaru's eyes at her rough treatment as she turned on her heel and said as low and as forceful as she could make it, "SIT BOY!"

And as she stomped back to the camp fire, Inuyasha was left choking on dirt and staring after her with a look of utmost confusion. "What was that for?!"

Sesshoumaru glared down at him icily as he, too, walked past the fallen hanyou. "Your stupidity really shouldn't surprise anyone at this point, half breed."

"Huh?! Will people quit saying that shit already?!"

Not as funny, but I had to have a little depth to this story, right? I'll try and make it better next chapter.

As always, please review.

Luna


	6. Chapter 5

Standard disclaimer applies

Here we are again! And once again I find myself feeling the need to apologize. It's been a dreadful couple of weeks, hasn't it? I'm about to graduate, get a rate, and now (though I hate to rhyme) I think I've just recently found my soul mate, and since you all are a fan of romance, you should know how much a guy seems to fill your life – especially when it's _the_ guy.

But on the other hand, I really don't feel the need to apologize, which is something that I most likely shouldn't be saying. I write fan fiction for pleasure and, believe it or not, when I'm so damned bored I can't think of doing anything else. I write for pleasure, and yes, I write for you guys too, but this is still a secondary past time outside of real life, so for those of you who are angry that I've not updated in forever… well, I really don't give a damn. So there.

Life is, after all, lived outside these stories rather than in them.

Okay, I'm done ranting. On with the chapter and enough of this.

On a side note, I think I'm going to make this chapter the final chapter since I have so little time to update it, and for those lovely fans who seem so understanding, this chapter will be for you, and I hope you'll enjoy it just as much as I've enjoyed writing it for you. But if the ending sucks, tell me, and I'll write you a full story as an epilogue.

Trust me, they're usually better than the actual story ever was, and I haven't quite figured out why…

(For reference, read my other Sessh/Kag fan fics that include **All in Moderation** (which is part one) and **Abstinence** (which is the sort-of epilogue for _All in Moderation_ since even I wasn't satisfied with the ending). And then there is **On My Wedding Day** (part one) which is a story I absolutely adore and am very proud of myself for writing, and then **On Her Wedding Day** (part two), written for a certain fan who gave me the idea to write the story out in Sesshoumaru's point of view. Again, I'm not sure why, but the part two's are always so much better than the part one's. Maybe you should read them, if you haven't already, to find out for yourself.

Okay, for real now, on with the story!

* * *

**The Snowball Effect**

**And yet, when the sun comes out, even the biggest snowball melts…**

**By: Luna**

Kagome was very near melting.

It wasn't just that they seemed to find themselves deep in a jungle like forest and the sun was beating itself mercilessly on this part of poor mother earth, but with such a beating and walking through the forest that was entirely too thick – the humidity just made it all the more worst to walk in.

She didn't understand how a place could be so hot. It was hard to breathe, the air so thick with the heat. Once she figured her usual outfit was out sweated and too gross to continue to wear, she had changed out of her school uniform for a pair of khaki shorts and a sky blue tank top, and she didn't know what outfit had been better to wear. The poor shirt stuck to her skin as if she dunked herself into a lake, and she could swear her skin would be rubbed raw the way the damp shorts kept rubbing up against her legs.

With a weary sigh, she gave up glaring at the back of Inuyasha's stubborn head and glanced over her shoulder to watch with sympathy as Sango helped the poor monk over a particularly large root, his face so hot with exertion and the fact that his robes were really too hot for this kind of weather. Then she looked to Sesshoumaru who seemed to walk separate from the group, looking as cool as an iceberg. Rin and Jaken were dozing atop of Ah and Un's back.

She stared enviously at the small child and wrinkled toad for just a moment before reaching into her pocket to grab a hair tie. For some reason, whenever she tried to wear her hair up the bands would almost immediately break, leaving her hair to press damply on her neck and make her hotter than she had been before. Once again, the hair tie snapped before her hands even fell to her sides.

Growling, she stopped and stomped a foot. "Blast it! I'm about to chop all my hair off if these ties won't quite breaking. It's too damn hot to walk in this God awful forest with all this hair pressing on my back!"

"I wouldn't advise it." Sesshoumaru warned quietly as his slow walk brought him up beside her.

Kagome glared at him, too tired and fed up to care about the consequences. "Do you have a better idea? Not all of us can look as cool and unruffled as you, you know."

Sesshoumaru paused and regarded her with silent eyes before shrugging almost unnoticeably and continuing forward. "I shall endeavor not to break anymore of those bands."

Kagome could only stare at him in mute shock as her brain registered the words, and even then she couldn't entirely get their meaning. She trotted up beside him to stare in his face. "Are you saying you're the reason my hair ties have been breaking?" He didn't say anything, but that only caused the redness in her cheeks to flare, this time in anger and not exertion. "You jerk! Why would you do such a thing?"

Sesshoumaru didn't look at her. "It seems this Sesshoumaru prefers your hair down."

It was only until Kirara nudged her back did Kagome realize that she stopped, too astonished to do anything except stare at Sesshoumaru's back. She started walking again, slower this time, a hand on Kirara's back to help steady her over rocks and abnormally large tree roots, the heat still beating down on her oppressively.

But she kept her hair down.

They finally settled at a small, cool pond, and Kagome was only too happy for the rest. She eyed the pool, tempted to just jump in, but she didn't want to contaminate the water with her dirtiness, so she settled with splashing her face and neck repeatedly with cool water. Already Inuyasha stood with his arms crossed and a foot tap-tapping away, glaring off into the distance as if they actually had an agenda and were fifteen minutes late to their next appointment.

This was ridiculous, since they didn't even know where the hell they were going.

Miroku, poor guy, had just barely sat down and let out a sigh of relief when Inuyasha's patience seemed to snap. "That's it! Let's go before we still have daylight."

He glared at the party when all they seemed to do is stare blankly at him, with the exception of Sesshoumaru who didn't seem to like looking in the general vicinity of his younger brother and seemed to take an avid interest in staring at a nearby tree. Inuyasha growled, something they were sure must be a threat but were too damn tired to care. Heat seemed to take even the strongest of human warriors weak within a few hours of trudging through the sludge of humidity. Inuyasha glared, and then stamped his foot in a very Kagome-like fashion. "What are you staring at me for? Let's go already!"

"No."

All eyes, including Inuyasha's, swung over to stare at Sesshoumaru. For his part, Sesshoumaru took his time turning his head to look at Inuyasha, and even then it was to raise an eyebrow and glare coolly at him, as if wondering why his command was being questioned. Inuyasha sputtered. "W-what? What do you mean 'no'? That's not your decision!"

"You're right, it's hers." He said calmly, with no indication of who Her might be. But everyone knew anyways, and Kagome found herself blushing while at the same time unable to take her eyes off Sesshoumaru. "And she clearly has no wish to continue as of yet. You may continue on if you wish, for your stench will not be hard to follow."

Despite the insult, Inuyasha's face twisted and it seemed he almost considered it. He said, "No way in hell am I going to trust them with you." Then he sat with a sullen thump at the base of a tree and glared at Kagome with his arms crossed as if it were her fault. Which, in a sense, it sort of was.

Not that she cared. After sending a grateful smile Sesshoumaru's way, she turned to her yellow bag and pulled out her first aid kit, then knelt by Miroku's feet to tend to his poor blistered toes. The leather had rubbed against the heels, toes, and even the top arches of his feet, and she wondered how he didn't complain miles back when the abrasions had obviously started. Wet leather and tender skin never did go well together.

Kagome sighed in regret when Miroku flinched. "Poor guy. Why didn't you say anything? Your poor feet are going to hurt even more now that we stopped a little."

Miroku thumped his head against the tree he was leaning against and sighed. "These robes don't help either, you know."

"Then take them off." Kagome said automatically, and then blinked when every eye suddenly focused on her. She blushed madly, dropping Miroku's foot abruptly and ignoring his hiss of pain as she rapidly waved her hands in front of her defensively. "No, no, no! Not like that! I didn't mean it like that!"

Despite his foot just dropping rather painfully to the forest floor, he managed to quirk a mischievous brow and send her a charming smile. "Why, Kagome-sama, I had no idea you were so curious. If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask."

Kagome blushed. "N-no, it's alright, I don't need to see anything!"

"That's right," Sango said through clenched teeth and narrowed eyes. "_We_ don't need to see anything."

"Are you sure?" Miroku, eager to please, struggled to sit up so it would be easier to disrobe. "You can let loose your words of goodliness, my dear miko, and try not to contain yourself."

"Goodliness isn't a word, you dope!" Sango growled, reaching for her boomerang.

"Well, it should be." Miroku was laughing, scooting away from Sango and, accidentally or not, scooting closer to Kagome.

Sango hefted her weapon to her shoulder and took a threatening step forward. "When did you start trying to make up your own words?"

"I've always had my own dictionary, Sango my dear, but I do try and restrain myself in matters unfit for a lady's ear." When both girls merely stared at him, he gave them a toothy smile. "Well, I do. Why is it no one believes me? I'm practically a saint."

"Try not groping every girl in sight and asking them to bear you your child!" Kagome said reproachfully, edging slightly away from Miroku so she wouldn't get in the way of Sango's attack. It happened once, and since then she wondered why Miroku allowed himself to get beat up. Everyone knew he could easily escape, but just assumed he liked that sort of flirtation.

"I didn't know you were so jealous Kagome-sama! Here, let me undress and we can prove my devotion skin to skin!" Miroku once again, in what seemed like a gallant gesture, reached for his robes.

"For God's sake, don't take your clothes off!" She cried, but merriment was trying to escape in the form of laughter, and she couldn't stop herself from grinning. Even Sango had to make herself frown to keep the laughter off her face, but everyone knew she wanted to smile, too.

"I am heartbroken." Miroku started, looking at Kagome with twinkling eyes before looking soulfully into Sango's. "It seems you shall be the only one thus to see me naked, my dearest Sango."

Sango blushed madly, but narrowed her eyes since that was what she was supposed to do when faced with the monk's mischievousness. "Yeah, I can tell."

"I hope that's not sarcasm, my dear. Everyone should be gifted with the sight of perfection once in their lives."

Kagome laughed, she couldn't help it, then gave a little cry and scuttled back as fast as she could the minute Miroku once again reached to open his robes, startling herself when she ran straight into Sesshoumaru's legs. She had actually forgotten he was still there.

A low purr started vibrating against their skin, shaking the air around them, only this kind of purr wasn't cute and cuddly at all. Miroku's hands froze in the act of spreading his robes apart, and even Sango stopped her large boomerang only inches away from Miroku's head, her eyes darting back and forth from between Sesshoumaru and the monk, obviously unsure of who to aim it at.

Miroku cleared his throat and straightened the lapels of his robe, as if that had been all he had intended to do. "Er, as I was about to say, Kagome-sama, will you be so kind as to help me with your medicine?"

Kagome hesitated. For all the heat around her, the minute she ran up against Sesshoumaru's legs and his body heat pressed against her back, she didn't feel like moving at all. She wanted to stay right there and rest her weary cheek against his strength and rest until her feet stopped hurting. But that was ridiculous, so she swallowed and straightened her shoulders. Slowly, she crawled away, unable to look at Sesshoumaru as she lifted a foot into her lap again, gently applying anesthetics to the blisters.

Miroku was looking thoughtful as he watched Sesshoumaru's lips tighten just the slightest bit in annoyance, surely mad that such a reaction escaped him, and disappeared into the woods. "Kagome-sama, I do believe whatever you are doing is working."

"What do you mean?"

"With Sesshoumaru-sama." He said, looking amused when her eyes started to dart around the clearing. She should have known he wouldn't have said anything if Sesshoumaru had been there.

"What are you talking about? I haven't done a thing. I had a book, but I had to return it to the library. I haven't been anything except myself." Kagome said, sitting back when she was done with his foot, looking decidedly disappointed in herself.

Miroku smiled warmly. "I know."

Even Sango smiled a little. "That always seems to work better than anything else you try and do."

That made Kagome frown a little, uncertain if she had been insulted. "Excuse me?"

Sango shrugged and settled more comfortably next to Miroku who, for once, kept his hands to himself. "When you try being someone other than you, you look forced and awkward. Yet the minute you started being yourself, if you'll notice that's when Sesshoumaru started taking a more avid interest in you."

Inuyasha had been silent (so silent the three had forgotten about him, too), but now his quiet topaz eyes settled on Kagome and waited until she looked at him. "Kagome, do you know what you're doing? This is Sesshoumaru we're talking about. He's cruel, and he's a bastard. He's not going to change his ways even if he does choose you as a mate, and I'm wondering if you'll be able to accept that."

Kagome hesitated a little, uncertainty suddenly stilling her hands. "What do you mean?"

"Sesshoumaru's cruel. He always has been. You're the kindest girl I know, and a miko to boot. Getting involved with him will go against every belief and foundation your kind was built on. If you get involved with him, miko or not you're going to get tainted by him, and eventually hated like him. You need to decide fast what your decision is, because I'm sure he's not wearing that extra robe for fashion."

While everyone was struck with how thoughtful and intelligent Inuyasha sounded, Rin suddenly woke up with a small snort, accidentally shoving Jaken off the dragon when she pushed herself up in a sitting position. Jaken landed with a dull thud, so used by Rin by now he hardly even stirred from the ground.

The sound broke the tension, and Kagome used that as an excuse to escape the intensity in Inuyasha's eyes. She hurried over to Rin and smiled brightly into the child's sleepy eyes. "So, who's hungry?"

She didn't want to think about what Inuyasha said, or marvel over his sudden ability to actually sound like he knew what he was talking about. She didn't want to acknowledge that she didn't know what the hell she was doing, or why she particularly sought Sesshoumaru out when she knew Sango wouldn't hold her to the dare, and why she felt a sudden emptiness at the thought of _not_ having Sesshoumaru, which was a ridiculousness in itself.

She didn't think she was in love with him, and she for sure knew he wasn't in love with her. So why keep trying? Why shouldn't she just give up like Inuyasha was suggesting?

Because, quite simply, she didn't want to.

And she had no idea why.

/\\\\

JINX! This won't be the last chapter.

Review please, and wait for the next.

Luna


	7. Chapter 6

Standard disclaimer applies

Here we are again!

Sorry for the long wait, especially after such an astounding response to this story!

I couldn't help but feel inspired for another chapter! I still can't believe it – over a 140 reviews! This is my most current popular story yet, so I'll work my hardest to complete it. My other story, **The Sixth Sense**, is my other ongoing Inuyasha story, but it's an Inu/Kag. It's another one of my favorites, but for some reason I'm stuck on it. I can't go on just yet, and I don't know when I'll be able to update it again. Don't get me wrong, I'm **not** going to discontinue it after so close to ending, but I do know it's going to be harder to finish than when I first started it.

And finally… Just to let you all know if you haven't figured it out yet: I am not following any kind of time line whatsoever. I'm most likely going to switch, turn, mutilate and disregard every scenario that happened in the anime or manga to fit my story, so if I write events that happened in the very beginning or at the very end in mismatched order or wrote something that never happened and never will, well… deal with it. That's all! :)

Okay, for real now, on with the story!

**The Snowball Effect**

**But when it storms, snow has a tendency to turn into ice.**

**By: Luna**

"Inuyasha, SIT!"

Kagome stomped off after sending Inuyasha to the dirt, at her ropes end of patience. He's been like a bull dog ever since the incident the other day with Sesshoumaru. Kagome thought Sesshoumaru would try and kiss her; Inuyasha swore that he was trying to kill her. Why he'd try to do either was a mystery.

He had disappeared shortly after they escaped the jungle, leaving just in time for them to come across one of Naraku's incarnations. Inuyasha, the jerk, actually had the nerve to use her as a decoy and almost got her absorbed in the nasty, hairy thing. He used his tetsusaiga to kill the monster at the very last moment, but the result had been Kagome standing frozen, her arms ramrod straight down her sides, as the splattered remains of neon blue and green guts coated the new uniform her mother had just bought.

And Inuyasha laughed at her. He _laughed! _

Kagome had threatened Kirara enough to have her fly her back home, and even then she only spent two days with her family before Inuyasha dragged her back. One day to thoroughly clean the guts off, and the next to pamper herself at a spa. She had trimmed her hair and had it styled, had one of the specialists apply makeup, and splurged even more into buying Issey Miyake perfume.

Once Kirara had dropped her safely back at the campsite – thankfully a mile away from the splattered remains of the neon demon – Inuyashatook it upon himself to berate her for having the nerve to get the fire cat to take her all the way back home, berated her for talking with Sesshoumaru, and even had the nerve to berate her for arguing with Sango which caused the bet that, in the end, resulted in Sesshoumaru traveling with them in the first place.

And finally, _finally_, he had the nerve to ask her why she smelled like 'smelly shit'.

She didn't smell like smelly shit! It's Issey damn Miyake, one of the most expensive and sexy perfumes out there! She had actually felt pretty for a few hours, then he had to come and ruin every thing!

Kagome sniffled and used the palm of her hand to scrub away the few tears that leaked through, so fed up with Inuyasha. She was just so tired of it all! So tired of fight demons; of traveling in a land where there was no indoor plumbing; tired of drinking out of a river and unable to stop thinking that people peed and bathed in that water; and just so, _so_tired of fighting with Inuyasha.

There was _no reason_for him to be so upset. He had Kikyo, and never made any attempts to hide the fact that he left at night to be with her. In fact, the cause of the argument between her and Sango back then had been because Inuyasha had left them just to be with his undead lover and had put them all in a crappy mood.

There was no reason. If he was mad that she was taking an interest in his older brother, he had no right to criticize her. It's true that Sesshoumaru is a walking time bomb that could possibly take over the world if he wanted to, had tried to kill all of them at several points in time, and thought that obtaining power should be ones only goal in life. But at least he was _alive_!

Kikyo was nothing but a walking corpse! Just clay and mud and magic all mixed in with a lost piece of Kagome's soul. What right did Inuyasha have to judge her? What _right_did he have to make her feel like shit for even considering trying to be happy with someone else? He couldn't have both of them, and he shouldn't expect Kagome to be hung up on him forever.

"You are such a jerk, Inuyasha." Kagome muttered with a little hic. She hugged herself for a moment, looking around the quiet forest with sad, tired eyes. A twig snapped behind her, and Kagome recognized Inuyasha's aura so she didn't feel the need to turn around. Anger replaced the look of defeat in her eyes, and she sniffed and jerked her nose in the air in a show of haughtiness. "Leave me alone."

"Kagome," Inuyasha started, sounding guilty. Miroku must have said something to make him feel bad. "Kagome, I'm sorry."

Since that word rarely entered in Inuyasha's vocabulary, she almost turned around and forgave him like she always did, but something made her pause. She wanted to forgive him. She really did. But right now, she was just too tired to try. "Whatever," she said with a sigh. "Let's just get back to camp."

Kagome kept her eyes to the forest floor and didn't look at her friend as she passed him. She only smiled when she heard the tell tale slap of Miroku getting his butt whooped by a girl.

"You stupid houshi! You're supposed to be a holy man!" Sango was saying, flames practically shooting out of her eyes.

"Why yes, Sango-sama, I am." Miroku said benevolently, a red hand print smarting his right cheek. "In fact, I take it very seriously and devoutly study all things women consider temple worthy."

"Excuse me?" She said flatly, cocking a brow at him as she crossed her arms and started tapping her foot.

"Is your body not your temple?" The houshi asked with a smile and a glint in his violet eyes. "I take it as my duty to devout all my energy into worship."

"Well, there's no service today – or ever, you pervert!" Sango growled and shook a clenched fist at the houshi who still sat with his benign smile.

Kagome rolled her eyes in exaggeration before playfully wagging a finger at the monk. "Miroku, you of all people should know a temple is used for prayer – not groping."

"But Kagome-sama!" Miroku protested innocently, "Didn't you once say that idle hands are the devils tools?"

"Um, something like that, but I think you know I didn't mean it in that context." Kagome said, cheerfully. "But you should know by know what Sango thinks is appropriate."

"Ah, yes." Miroku nodded sagely. "I forgot the rule about men being expected to mind read. Forgive me for being remiss in my studies."

"Will you guys shut the hell up?" Inuyasha snapped, coming out of the forest with a scowl on his face. "We've wasted enough time resting; it's time to move on. We should reach a village by nightfall if we head north."

"Inuyasha, we need to eat." Kagome said calmly, piling up the pieces of firewood Miroku and Sango must have collected when she was arguing with Inuyasha. She pulled out her lighter and started a small blaze underneath the wood, watching as the rest of the pile slowly started to burn.

"Sit." She said when Inuyasha lifted a foot to stamp out the fire. "We're eating, Inuyasha. Us weak humans need sustenance every now and then."

Sango appeared with a pan of water, and placed it over the flames to boil. Only after grumbling did Inuyasha get up to start digging through her yellow bag. "Oi, wench!" He called out, his voice muffled since half his head was buried in her bag. "What happened to all the ramen I let you go back home to get?"

"Turn sideways and find out." Kagome muttered darkly. "We're not having ramen since you dragged me out of the future before I could buy some. You're going to have to stick to rice and the berries we've picked along the way."

There was shuffling behind her before Inuyasha flopped down beside her. He glared at the ground for a second before he used a clawed finger to poke holes in the dirt. He glanced at her sideways, coughing a little when she still wore a too-calm face that let him know he wasn't forgiven just yet. He cleared his throat, waiting for her to acknowledge him. When she didn't respond, he did it again.

"Oi, wench." Inuyasha muttered, clearing his throat once more. Why were apologies so hard to say sometimes? "You… I'll take you home tomorrow, if you want."

Kagome blinked her eyes at Inuyasha's stubborn, handsome face. "Really?"

"Yeah. You said you lost track of the jewel shard anyways." He made it sound like an insult, but Kagome was suddenly too happy to care.

"Oh, thank you Inuyasha!" She said happily, throwing her arms around her friend. She settled her head against his shoulder and poked at the flames with a stick a moment before sighing. "Apology accepted."

"Keh." Inuyasha grunted indifferently, but Kagome felt him relax under her cheek.

If only everything could be solved with an apology, Kagome mused as she stared at the rice cooking. Whether he wanted it to or not, their relationship was changing, and soon they'd reach a point where there was no turning back, that change would have to occur or they just wouldn't adapt and take just one more step into the realm of adulthood. Kagome feared that it would come sooner than Inuyasha would be ready for, and it's likely going to end ugly.

Crashing was suddenly heard coming towards them at an alarming rate, and everyone jumped to their feet and prepared for the imminent attack. It Rin, crashing into the clearing with dirt and twigs in her hair, fat tears leaving little trails on her dirty cheeks. With a tiny cry she launched herself into Kagome's arms. She held on tight like for just a moment before pulling back and wailing to Kagome, "It's Sesshoumaru-sama! He's hurt, oh, he's hurt! Please help him!"

As Kagome's heart stopped beating in her chest for one split second, ice slid down her spine.

_Oh, no…_

* * *

It's been long awaited, but thank you for having patience with me. I know this chapter isn't very long, but I AM planning the next one to at least be ten pages before I post it!

Ano, **Megan**, I know you sent me your fic to beta, but my computer totally wiped out all of my emails shortly after you sent it. If you still want me to be your beta, please send it to me again! Sorry for not getting back at you sooner, but your email wasn't saved when my computer went berserk!

For the rest of you, thanks for reviewing! I still can't get over the fact that I have so many reviews! Thank you so much and keep it coming!

Luna


	8. Chapter 7

Standard disclaimer applies

Standard disclaimer applies.

Here we are again! Thank you everyone for all your support, and I'm sorry it took me so long to update. This chapter is short, but I'll try and make the next one longer.

Okay, for real now, on with the story!

**The Snowball Effect**

**And Ice is the worse kind of snow of all…**

**By: Luna**

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The change had already happened.

Kagome thought it would take a while for the dynamics in the relationship between her and Inuyasha would take time; a couple weeks, maybe even a couple months. And yet all it took was a day. Not even that, Kagome thought almost sadly. Just a moment. Just a single moment of an hour in a day, and her life felt as if it had been chucked up against the wall.

It was his fault.

If only Sango hadn't started that ridiculous argument, if only she hadn't made that bet. If only Kagome hadn't egged her on and told lies she couldn't back up. If only Sesshoumaru didn't have to look so damn perfect, even while glaring her with murder in his eyes while on his knees.

Sighing, Kagome told herself that what she was feeling was just romanticism, not love. What she was feeling was pity, not worry. She stepped towards him slowly, and ignored Rin's little sniffles as she took in the scene before her. Jaken was passed out by the camp fire, his ugly face twisted in pain even in sleep, and his ears were bleeding. Sesshoumaru hadn't moved an inch since he spotted her, but she could tell he resented her intrusion all the same.

But not, Kagome realized, that he could do anything about it.

He was literally on his knees before her, his hand clutched over an ear and his face twisted in a snarl of fury, which Kagome suspected merely covered an expression of pain. His ears were bleeding too. What on earth? Despite the threat, Kagome made herself look away from Sesshoumaru and around the camp fire, trying to see what had brought someone as mighty as Sesshoumaru to his knees.

She couldn't hear anything. Frowning, Kagome looked around once more, this time slowly, and let her miko powers build up. Kaede had taught her how to expand her aura and to feel where other auras are by how or when they touch hers. It was a little confusing at first, because she was still in training and knew that only really experienced people managed this technique, but she was willing to try no matter what. The only problem was…

She looked back to Sesshoumaru, and like she suspected his eyes were still pinned on her. The fury was still there, but now she could see speculation swirling in with the anger as he tried to figure out what she was up to. Would she purify him if she suddenly unleashed her powers? She frowned. No, he was just too strong, and he bypassed her barriers all the time. Hell, he never even purifies when she hits him with her arrows! No, he'll be fine. But Jaken on the other hand…

With a sigh and a little hic of disgust, she reached for the little toad and used his clothes to drag him closer to her and Sesshoumaru. She didn't want to touch his skin; it looked dry and bumpy, and she had visions of getting warts if her hands touched his skin and then accidentally touched her face – or any other part of her body – and she suddenly broke out in warts all over her face. It was a silly superstition, but one she wasn't going to try and find out if it's true.

Taking a deep breath, she looked over at Sesshoumaru and tried to smile encouragingly. "It'll be all right, Sesshoumaru. I sort of know what I'm doing."

The look he gave her clearly expressed his faith in her, and she swallowed hard at the dry expression. "Well, at least I'm _trying_ to help you."

When the expression didn't waver, she frowned again and propped her hands on her hips. "You don't have to be so ungrateful. I could just turn around and go home." But she wouldn't. She knew it, and she knew that he knew it too. She sighed. "All right. Hold your horses."

She let her miko power flow through her, and she imagined it a bubble surrounding all four of them in a protective shield, and she smiled when she felt Rin's bright aura, glowing a gentle orange in her mind, and Jaken's ugly green. But she gasped, simply gasped, at how bright Lord Sesshoumaru's shown.

She opened her eyes (even though she doesn't remember closing them) and stared in awe at Sesshoumaru. She thought his would be dark. She thought his would be a dark, evil black not unlike Naraku. She thought it might be gray, or brown, or even an angry red, but in her mind Sesshoumaru's aura glowed brighter than anything she had ever felt. She didn't know what the aura's represented; whether it was their power that radiated or the color of their soul.

But Sesshoumaru's eyes shown nothing but anger and pain, and earlier they had clearly shown with the intent to kill her. So she shook her head and dismissed the idea, because there was no way Sesshoumaru's aura could be as white as pure snow, because there was _no way_ Sesshoumaru could be pure.

She closed her eyes again and concentrated, and felt rather than saw her aura expand beyond the small clearing. There were lower youkai littering the forest, but she wasn't interested in them, so she expanded a little bit more. Sweat was beading her brow, and her legs were starting to shake, but she was too impressed at how far she had gotten to care about how much using her powers were draining her.

Pausing, Kagome focused on a life form not far from them, frowning a little because it felt human. What human had the power to do this to Sesshoumaru from so far away? She shut her power off like a switch, and fell to the floor in a heap of exhausted miko. She smiled shakily up at Sesshoumaru and said, "Well, I think I'm going to go investigate real quick. You stay right here, Sesshoumaru-sama, and I'll be right back."

The look he gave her was dry and clearly baleful. She grinned anyways, because she knew what he was saying. "I know, it's not like you can go anywhere, anyways, can you?"

He was pale, so she put all kidding aside and rose shakily to her feet, patting his shoulder absently when she passed him. Rin stayed behind, too afraid to leave Sesshoumaru again in case something happened, and Kagome didn't stop her. Even in the shape Sesshoumaru was in, he'd be more able to protect the girl and the green toad better than Kagome could.

She tripped over vines and imaginary rocks, but eventually made her way through a thick part of the forest to come up against the outskirts of a small village. Furrowing her brow because she had only sensed one presence, Kagome looked around the small encampment before resting on the back of a young boy. She walked towards him with a slight frown and wondered what he was doing here alone. Where was everybody?

"Excuse me?" Kagome asked, crouching in front of the small kid with a kind smile. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

The boy turned in surprise and looked up at Kagome with wide brown eyes, and in his hand he held a shiny whistle. "I found this," he said and held up the whistle. "But when I blow in it, it makes no sound."

How did he get a whistle? Kagome asked herself, but once she saw a closer look she could've smacked herself in the forehead. She cleared her throat, "What makes you think it's supposed to make any noise?"

The boy shrugged. "It has a hole in it clear through. I don't know what else it's used for."

"Where did you say your parents were?" Kagome asked again, looking away to look again in case she missed something.

The boy shrugged and went to blow on the whistle again; blowing so hard his cheeks puffed out and turned red with exertion. Kagome quickly plucked the whistle out of his hand with a smile. "Nuh-uh! This isn't a toy. It's a very dangerous weapon and you shouldn't play with it. Now where are your parents?"

The boy gave her an angry look before crossing his arms and looking away with his nose in the air. "Everyone wanted to move away, said that too many demons lived here and stuff. I didn't want to move! So I snuck out away from everyone else and came back."

Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief. "Do you know how dangerous it is out here?!"

The kid sniffed arrogantly. "So what? I'm a big kid."

"Aki!"

Both of them turned just as a woman came running through the village. She had dark brown hair and the same brown eyes as her son, and she looked furious. She ran straight up to Aki and slapped him right across the face. Then, before Kagome's shocked eyes, burst into tears and wrapped him up in her arms. "You stupid boy! Do you know how worried I was when I woke up and you weren't there?"

Aki's arrogance melted away and he sniffled, hugging his mom. "I'm sorry."

The woman picked him up and started walking away without even a glance at Kagome, disappearing within the empty village. Kagome stared after them with a dumbfounded look on her face before blinking. "Well." She stood up and dusted her butt off. "Well!" She exclaimed again, since she really didn't know what else to say. "I guess my work here is done!"

She opened up her palm and eyed the shiny whistle, offering a silent apology to Sesshoumaru. She turned the whistle in her palm and read what she had written there in permanent ink:

_Kagome's Bitch_

It was a dog whistle she had taken back with her from the future. She had wanted it to show Inuyasha he couldn't treat her like a child, and told him that she was going to teach him a lesson. Yet the minute she blew on the silent whistle, Inuyasha had hit the deck and cried like a little girl.

Demon dog's ears were much more sensitive than dogs from her time, after all.

She had chucked the damn thing into the river before tending to Inuyasha. And if his – a half demons – ears were that hurt by the whistle, Kagome could almost imagine the kind of pain Sesshoumaru must be feeling. How had he managed to stay conscious? Poor Jaken probably keeled over after the first whistle was blown.

Kagome looked around for just a moment more before making her way back to Sesshoumaru. She found him the same spot she had left him, only now he was able to stand. Rin was chattering to him nonstop, but Sesshoumaru was only looking at her with a blank expression on his face. Kagome laughed, she couldn't help it. He looked so… odd! She's never seen his face like that.

"Sesshoumaru," She called out with a laugh. "It's all right now."

He didn't even glance in her direction. Kagome frowned and stepped closer, and he finally flicked a glance her way. "That's not nice you know. I helped you out! The least you can do is acknowledge me."

He only stared at her.

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. "Well?"

But still, he said nothing. Kagome stomped closer to him, intent on giving him a piece of her mind, but something in his face slowed her down until she was barely two feet away. She looked at him in confusion, cocking her head to the side. Rin, beside her, did the same. "Can you…" She tapped her ear.

Barely – so slight she might've mistaken the move, Sesshoumaru shook his head negative. Kagome's eyes widened and she nearly gasped, feeling the weight of the small whistle in her pocket like rocks weighing her down. "Oh dear," Kagome said faintly with a nervous little smile.

Sesshoumaru was deaf.

\/

And onto the next…

Review please.

Luna

(Don't worry, next chapter's going to have a lot more funnies in it!)


	9. Chapter 8

Standard disclaimer applies.

Thank you all for the reviews! Each and every one means so much to me! I'm trying to reply to all the reviews, but I don't think I've succeeded very well. So any questions you might have, just send me a review and I'll try to answer it as soon as possible!

I was kind of in a rush when I posted this, so I wasn't able to check for errors like I normally do. So if there are errors I didn't catch, sorry, but hopefully you all can still enjoy the chapter!

**The Snowball Effect**

**It makes you shiver, because Ice is so very cold…**

**By: Luna**

\/

"I really like you, you know." Kagome said off-handedly, watching as Sesshoumaru filleted the fish she and Rin just caught. He never paused, never even batted an eyelash; there was no indication that he heard her at all. So she went on, her chin propped in her hand and a smile on her face. "I'm not really sure why either. I mean, it's not as if you're a very nice guy."

He finally glanced over at her and blinked as if just realizing she had been speaking, but Kagome only smiled merrily and waited until he looked away to finish speaking. "You are good looking, no doubt about that. In fact, if you were in my time, the words my friends would use are 'pretty damn hot,' and other kinds of words. Not," She assured him, "that you'd actually be feeling hot. I mean sexy. You know?"

He looked at her again, and she added, "Just in case you were wondering." As if he'd been participating in the conversation all along.

He paused, looking at her with narrowed eyes, as if just realizing she was speaking and not just smiling at him and pretending she wasn't. Like she was doing now, smiling innocently at him as if she wasn't imagining different words that would better describe how good looking Sesshoumaru was. Rin giggled uncontrollably behind her hands, and Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he stared at them suspiciously before placing the fish over the fire.

Inuyasha hadn't been too pleased with her when she informed him she wouldn't be traveling with him for about a week -- or as long as it took for Sesshoumaru to get his hearing back. But since she had seen soul stealers flying above the trees as she left, Kagome had the feeling he'd be far too occupied to really care. Well, at least until Kikyo left and he remembered why she wasn't there again. It had only been a couple of hours since then, and Kagome was taking this time to say her thoughts and feelings before Sesshoumaru got his hearing back.

"It's not that I don't love Inuyasha." Kagome said assuringly as he walked over to a large tree to rest against its bark. "I do, truly. But just as a friend. And with the way he disappears with Kikyo all the time, it's not as if I hadn't been able to realize that maybe Inuyasha and I just aren't meant to be."

He closed his eyes, so Kagome spoke some more, confident that he wouldn't be able to hear. "But I'm a little sad." She mused, pausing as truly realizing the truth of the situation. "Inuyasha and I… well, we're the first of the team. The main players, if you will. He doesn't love me like he loves Kikyo, but when he finds out that I love you…"

She choked when that slipped out and had to stop, swallow, make sure Sesshoumaru wasn't listening, and continue. Her voice was very, very soft, and her eyes were starting to get damp from tears. "He'll hate me. He'll hate me, and he'll throw away all the years we've been together because of his hatred for you. He'll think I betrayed him -- even though his relationship with Kikyo hadn't exactly been a fair one when we first started out together. He'll do it because that's just the kind of guy Inuyasha is; he burns bridges, and only regrets it later when he's realized what he's done, but by that time his pride will prevent him from apologizing."

She was no longer paying attention to Sesshoumaru, letting herself speak the truth out loud so she wouldn't be able to deceive herself any longer, like she had been trying to do by telling herself she only _really liked _Sesshoumaru, not loved. Where had that gotten her? No where. She still had to face the facts, and this way she'd be able to face them sooner and figure out how to deal with it before Inuyasha found out and he hated her, too.

"And the funny thing is, he'll do this all even though there's no chance that you'll feel the same way. He'll do this all and leave me all alone, because he'll still think of it as a betrayal. He's stupid, because even though he has Kikyo, he's still so damn possessive that he doesn't want anyone else to have me either! He's so _stupid_." She finished harshly, glaring down at her hands since she needed to glare at something.

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, as if he could smell her distress. Or maybe just her tears. Kagome knuckled away her tears and didn't say anything more. She felt his eyes on her as she moved to turn the fish, but for once since Kagome started traveling with him, she couldn't meet his eyes. Inuyasha meant the world to her. He had been her first real friend -- after he got over the trying to kill her stage -- since she's been in the Feudal Era. Despite his ways and temperment, she could still him anything without him every hating her.

Until now.

Kagome had fallen in love with the brother he had been hating. The only person next to Naraku that he hated with all his heart. In a way, Kagome had nothing to fear because there was no way Sesshoumaru would ever reciprocate her feelings, but Inuyasha would still find out eventually. He always did, because never before had she been able to lie to him -- at least not successfully.

She was afraid… but at the same time she had known this day would eventually come. Not necessarily with Sesshoumaru, but she had known that one day she would find someone to love, and Inuyasha wouldn't like it one bit. He had always been fiercly protective of her, and had always tried to scare away any suitors or any other boy that had shown interest in her. Even though he had Kikyo, the fact remained that even though he didn't have her, he didn't want anyone else to have her either. Like a dog with a favorite toy he didn't want any of the other dogs to play with.

Inuyasha would want to fight his brother, because he'd have to fight someone, and everyone knew that Inuyasha would never be able to defeat him. It was a fight Kagome prayed would never have to happen -- and felt fairly confident it never would.

"The fish will burn." The quiet baritone of Sesshoumaru's voice startled Kagome out of her thoughts, and she blinked uncomprehendingly at him before trailing her eyes to the fish. She gasped, suddenly jolting into movement, and scrambled on all fours to yank the fish out from over the fire. She poked at it after a moment before smiling at Sesshoumaru. "It's not burnt." He only stared at her. "It's not! It's only… a little crispy, that's all."

He still only stared at her blankly, and Kagome started to get irritated before she remembered he couldn't hear. She sighed, feeling depressed. "You can at least pretend you hear me." Sesshoumaru cocked his head to the side, frowning just a bit. Kagome remembered all the things she had said, and blushed before hurriedly correcting herself. "Well, never mind."

She gave Rin her fish, and waited breathlessly to see if the child would eat it. Rin started chowing down without hesitation, and Kagome relaxed. After all, if a child would eat it, surely it couldn't be all that bad. Then she frowned, watching Rin carefully. When she finished her fish, Kagome wordlessly passed hers over and watched as Rin ate that one too. "Rin…" Kagome started hesitatingly, then she asked, "You wanna take a bath with me? I have all these pretty soaps. It'll mae you smell really good."

Rin perked up, her brown eyes lighting up with delight. After all, she never received any kind of female attention, and Kagome was the closest thing she got to a female role model. Anything Kagome said, Rin listened to very carefully. Kagome would have smiled if she hadn't been so worried for the little girl. "Will I smell pretty like you?" Rin asked with a big smile.

Kagome smiled and ran a hand through Rin's hair. "Yep."

Rin practically flew to the river, and Kagome watched her carefully as she gathered her towels and soaps. She glanced at Sesshoumaru to find his golden eyes narrowed on her, sitting completely still as if waiting to pounce. Kagome smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. We're just going to take a bath."

He glared at her a moment longer, prompting Kagome to lift up her towel and give it a little helpful shake. Then she pointed towards the river. "Bath. B-A-T-H."

He looked away, and Kagome took that as his sign of consent. So she sighed and went to follow Rin. Twenty minutes later, a freshly washed Kagome stomped back into the clearing, her cheeks red with anger and her blue eyes narrowed. "Jaken," She snapped, making the kappa jump at her sharp tone. "Go see to Rin. She's playing near the water."

It was shallow, only knee length, so she wasn't worried about the child. Kagome waited until the toad scurried away with a muttered, "You are so going to die, human!" but only ran faster when Kagome turned her glare on him, clearly intimidated by the miko dressed in blue pajamas with pink sheep designs. She seethed some more when Sesshoumaru took his sweet time in looking at her, and even then his eyes slowly took her in, from her purple painted toes to her blue and pink pajamas, and finally to her eyes.

He raised a brow, silently asking her what her problem was. Kagome pointed angrily towards the river. "That child," She gritted out, "Is too thin. Do you even understand me? Skinny! She's too damn skinny!"

"I know what 'skinny' means, girl." Came his calm reply.

Kagome was, for the moment, speechless. He could hear now? But she would not be moved. She continued, even more incensed than before. "What kind of father figure are you? She's a growing girl, and you're practically starving her!"

Sesshoumaru stood slowly and glared down at her, but Kagome didn't move. "What do you feed her? Do you _want _her to die?"

"One," Sesshoumaru started out steadily, "This Sesshoumaru is not her father. Two, Rin feeds herself. She manages to find fish and berries fairly well." He looked as if he was going to point out number three, but Kagome cut him off and only then did he start showing signs of temper.

"Obviously not well enough!" Kagome said sharply, losing her steam. "Jeez, don't you ever listen?" She muttered, even knowing that Rin would never voice a complaint.

"Oh, I listen." Sesshoumaru said silkily, stepping forward and making Kagome's eyes widen at his proximity. "I have listened to _everything _you've said."

She stared, a slow blush started to creep up her neck as she started to fully comprehend exactly what he was saying. Listened to… everything? _Everything? _Just what did everything entail? Everything as in, before today, or everything as in just today when she… when she… "Oh, Lord." She said, before turning on her heel and running towards the River to where Run and Jaken were. She ignored their looks of surprise and plopped down on a rock set close to the river, and stared dazedly at Rin.

She had confessed her love to Sesshoumaru thinking he was deaf. She should have known that a demon of his caliber would have healed within minutes, if not moments of the wound. She had talked about her most inner secrets, the things she felt she'd never be able to reveal to anyone, and now he knew everything. Because he hadn't been deaf. Sesshoumaru knew she was in love with him. She closed her eyes and dropped her face miserably into her hands.

Oh, she was _so _going to die.

And embarrassment, she though faintly, was such a horrid way to go.

/\\\\

There we go! Only a few more chapters to go…

Review!

Luna


	10. Chapter 9

Standard disclaimer applies

Standard disclaimer applies.

Thank you so much for the response! Wow, over two hundred reviews! I am amazed and so, _so_ glad you like my story! Here's the next installment, I hope you all enjoy it!

Next chapter is the last chapter – I'm still debating whether or not this story needs an epilogue – so review your hearts out!

**The Snowball Effect**

**But always, **_**always**_**, the sun is there to warm you up, both in spirits, but most importantly in hearts…**

**By: Luna**

\\\///

Kagome crept quietly around camp, sneaking glances at the 'sleeping' Sesshoumaru and Rin, ignoring Jaken, and started collecting small pieces of fire wood so she could start on breakfast. Sesshoumaru might not eat breakfast, but her and Rin certainly would. Even when she felt the tingle of Sesshoumaru's eyes on her, she pretended she didn't and used her lighter to start the fire. If he was curious about how she lit the fire, he didn't say. But he didn't take his eyes off her as she filled a pan with bottled water and set it over the fire. Then she brought out her styrofoam cups and bags of tea, and set aside ramen. It wasn't the most nutritious breakfast, but it would do for the time being. There were two for Rin, and one for her and Jaken. Sesshoumaru could find his own food, Kagome sniffed. Besides, he probably wouldn't eat her human food anyway.

She made tea for all of them, however, since she assumed _everyone_ drank tea, human and demon alike. Without meeting his eyes, Kagome went to set a cup next to Sesshoumaru's thigh. She froze when he grasped her wrist, and slowly she followed his hand up his arm to his eyes. His eyes weren't angry, weren't sarcastic, and weren't scary at all. If anything, she would've thought they were… coaxing. He was curious, she realized, about what she gave him.

"It's tea." She said simply. "Citrus spice. It's from my home."

"You made this?" He asked, breathing in the tea's scent deeply.

Kagome couldn't lie, but she didn't want to tell him the truth, either. He didn't need to know she was from the future just yet. "No," She answered. "My family buys it."

He stared at her for a moment with his head cocked to the side before stating. "Your family is wealthy."

Compared to the people here? "Yes."

He nodded knowingly. "It makes sense."

"What?" Kagome asked, her brows crinkling. Did he think she was a rich snob or something? He was way more of a snob then she _ever_ would be! Talk about the pot calling the kettle…

"You are educated," Sesshoumaru started, picking up his tea and taking a small sip. Kagome glowed with pride at the approval in his eyes. His brows rose as he studied the tea before looking at her again. "Your tea is of the finest quality. Your clothes – which are odd and entirely _in_decent – are weaved and stitched expertly, indicating you paid a lot to make them."

She looked down at her 'indecent' clothes with a frown. Uniforms were expensive, but only because Kagome kept ruining hers. "They're not that bad."

"So a wealthy girl would say." Sesshoumaru murmured after another sip of tea.

Was he teasing her? She couldn't tell. Kagome scowled at him. "I don't know what's wrong about it. You're pretty wealthy yourself, if that's the case."

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it." Sesshoumaru said quietly with a look in his eyes that made Kagome fidget and look away. She didn't know if he was trying to flirt, attempting a conversation, or both. But that warm look in his eyes made her wonder…

"Well," Kagome started, flustered. "I'm going to get breakfast ready." She hesitated, and then asked, "Do you want any?"

"This Sesshoumaru does not eat human food." He said with a sniff.

It was so close to what she had thought that she had to smile, but didn't say anything when he looked at her oddly. She roused Rin awake with sugared tea, and listened as the girl started chattering almost immediately after her eyes opened. Kagome frowned at Jaken and debated whether to kick him awake or be nicer. Sighing, she nudged him with her foot until he woke up glaring at her, and she thrust the tea in his hands before she dumped it over his green little head. Next, she started boiling ramen.

Within the hour, they were traveling, but Kagome assumed it was the aimless sort. Unlike Inuyasha who rushed everywhere as if time were running out and there was a schedule they were obviously late for, Sesshoumaru walked with unhurried grace. She wasn't tired like she normally was after an hour, and her and Rin were actually able to enjoy the scenery and take breaks when they were needed. Sesshoumaru might claim not to be Rin's father, and he was clueless to the type of nutrition she needed, but he still slowed his pace when she was tired or let her ride Ah Un, and he threw rocks at Jaken's head when he was being too mean to her. In his own way, Kagome felt he cared very much.

So, smiling, she walked with a skip in her step and a song hummed just below her breath, and she thought that she might just get used to this. This day, she thought with a smile, couldn't get any better.

Until Inuyasha came crashing through the forest after them.

Rin blinked, Jaken screamed in fright, Kagome sighed in exasperation, and Sesshoumaru ignored him until he realized the rest of his party had stopped. Then he glared in annoyance and asked in a very un-Sesshoumaru way, "Inuyasha, _what_ do you want?"

"I want Kagome back, ya bastard!" He yelled, hackles already rising. "Who knows what you've done to her!"

Sango and Miroku appeared behind him out of breath, and glared mildly at his back while trying to get their breath back. Then they looked at Kagome, standing barely a foot away from Sesshoumaru and looking more annoyed then frightened. Miroku sighed and straightened. "Inuyasha, I don't think she's being harmed."

"Of course she is!" Inuyasha yelled. Then he looked at Kagome, his eyes almost beseeching. "Right, Kagome?"

"Inuyasha," She said in _that_ tone. "_Sit_."

He choked on dirt before looking up at her with a hurt expression. "What was that for?"

Sighing, Kagome placed her hands on her hips and glared. "Does it look like I'm hurt?"

"No," He said darkly as he rose. "Just brain washed."

"Excuse me?" Kagome snapped, opening her arms automatically when Shippo came running into them, but her eyes stayed glued to Inuyasha. This is it, she thought sickly. This was the moment she'd been dreading ever since she confessed her love to Sesshoumaru. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Ever since you made that stupid bet with Sango you've been acting weird!" He shouted, but Kagome knew him well enough to see past the anger to the hurt and confusion underneath.

After a quick glance at Sesshoumaru to see his reaction (none, thankfully, so he might not know about the bet) she approached Inuyasha slowly. "Inuyasha, I'm just the same as always."

"No, you're not." He said stubbornly. "You invite _him_ along; you sneak off with him out of the blue –"

"Like you do with Kikyo?" She asked quietly, watching him. She saw the shock, then the realization when then implications of her statement hit.

"K-Kagome…" Inuyasha stuttered, shocked. "You… you _can't_. It's… it's _Sesshoumaru!_"

Deciding not to comment on the fact that he chose Kikyo – a dead person – she glared and crossed her arms. "So?"

"What do you mean _so_?!" He started, and Kagome flinched at his thunderous tone. "You _have_ been brain washed! It's your fault!"

But it was Sango he pointed at, making her jump in surprise and Miroku move slightly in front of her, brows furrowing in consternation. "Hey now…"

"You started it! If you hadn't planted that seed in her head, she would've never thought twice about him! Now she's practically _screwing_ him –"

"Inuyasha SIT!" Kagome screamed, and blinked when Sesshoumaru appeared at her side. The smell of his sickly sweet acid filled the air, and she swallowed hard at the implications. If she had waited just one moment longer… "Inuyasha," She started again. "Even if Sango and I got into this by superficial means, that doesn't make what I'm feeling any less real." She knelt where his head was still glued to the dirt by the necklace. "Inuyasha, do you see me trying to keep you from Kikyo?"

"But Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, hurt and miserable. "It's _Sesshoumaru_."

"Yes," She confirmed firmly. "It is."

He may not have accepted her, Kagome thought, but he hadn't rejected her either. There was still hope. "But I'm still me, Inuyasha." She whispered now. "And I'm still your _best_ friend. You know I've never asked you for anything before."

"Yeah you have," He muttered, standing. "To go home."

She stood too. "Not like this and you know it. Quit acting dense on purpose, Inuyasha."

He studied her, really studied her, and ignored the demon at her side completely. Then he looked away. "Keh. It's your funeral. And we still have shards to collect."

Kagome's smile was radiant, making him blush – and Sesshoumaru growl at his reaction. "Yeah, I know." Kagome said. "I'll be joining you in a couple of days."

She wasn't looking at Sesshoumaru so she missed his frown, but Inuyasha didn't. He smirked, glaring at his older brother before giving Kagome puppy dog eyes. "You promise?" He asked quickly before she could see his brother's reaction. "In a couple of days?"

"Of course, Inuyasha!" She chirped, glad that it hadn't come to blows – or the loss of a friendship she might never recover from.

Inuyasha shot Sesshoumaru a triumphant smirk before grabbing Shippo by the scruff of his neck to pop him out of her arms. "See you in a couple of _days_, Kagome!"

Miroku followed him, but Sango stayed behind with a secret smile. "The month is almost up, Kagome!" She whispered mischievously. Then she winked. "Good luck!"

While Kagome stood blushing, her friends left the clearing. "Well!" She exclaimed, turning to the silent demon lord. "Ready to go?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at her critically, a look in his eyes she didn't recognize. "Are you?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" She laughed, happy. "Jeez, Sesshoumaru, weren't you listening?"

"I've listened to _everything_ you've said, Kagome." Sesshoumaru said seriously, making Kagome wonder what he was trying to say. He _never_ repeated himself without reason. "And the slayer is right." He added slowly, meaningfully.

Kagome stared at him, pale. And watched a slow smile spread across his face. That was never a good thing.

"The month is almost up."

\\\///

And that's a wrap! Next chapter I think you'll all enjoy, so review a lot so I'll be tempted to post it quicker!

Luna


	11. Chapter 10

Standard disclaimer applies.

Wowzers! I love you guys, I really do. Thank you so, so much for such a great response and all of your support. I know there was a time there when I hardly updated at all, so I'm glad everyone stuck it out with me until the end.

I want to send a special thanks to **LC Rose** and** Sugar0o** (who just happen to be amazing writers themselves), and **Ayjah**. You guys are my best supporters in all my stories, and I really appreciate it because your support goes a long way. And to **Jazz**: believe it or not but there was one review you sent me that really gave a kick in the ass (though to others it might not have seemed that way), and it helped me get into the writing groove. So thanks!

I wish I were able to personally thank each and every one of you (believe me, I really did try) but there were so many, and then I forgot who I already sent replies to and what I was going to say. So I want to thank you here to let you know I really do appreciate you!

A side note goes to **Amber**, who asked me to email her when I updated. I'm sorry, but your email address did not go through the review. When you type out your address, you have to type like so: luna_magic_2005** (at)** hotmail** (dot)** com. Otherwise your entire email will just look like a period ( **. **). Hopefully you'll find this story again and read this, and if not then I just wasted a whole bunch of space =^.^= But still, hopefully this'll help others out there who might have the same problem and think authors are just blowing you off.

Again thanks, and while you're waiting for the epilogue I've decided to write, check out my other Sessh/Kag story, **_Secrets_**. Lots of people seem to like that story, so you might like it as well.

Don't forget me entirely! More stories are still to come, all revolving around my favorite couple.

Well anyways…

**The Snowball Effect**

**And with the melting of snow, spring will come once again…**

**By: Luna**

\\\///

Kagome stared at him with eyes the size of craters, the blood rushing to her face so quickly she felt dizzy. Did he mean…? Oh Gods, she thought sickly. He knew. It was what he had been trying to tell her last night. It was what she had assumed meant only her confession.

But… if he knew, why hadn't he said something sooner? If he knew, why had he wasted an entire month traveling with her, then her traveling with him, if he had known what her original objection had been all along? She waited, breathless and confused as to what he might do, and blinked at his back when all he did was turn around and walk away.

"Come," He commanded. "We need to get going."

Where? She wanted to ask. They never seemed to go anywhere with purpose. But her throat was so dry she didn't think she could speak. She followed him without question, without doubt, and absently listened to Rin talk and Jaken complain and Ah Uh chirp, but her eyes stayed on Sesshoumaru, wondering. She thought back to the day she first laid eyes on him, a vision of white and strength and graceful masculinity. But then he had tried to kill Inuyasha, and she grew afraid of him. And then he tried to kill her, and she had hated him. But then he adopted Rin and she became to wonder, and later when he had saved Kagome she became to dream.

But he had been Sesshoumaru; an essence she could never possibly contain or be a part of. He was Sesshoumaru; who claimed to hate humans, yet went to hell to save one. Sesshoumaru, whose very name means death, yet looks at her with such a gentle look in his eyes…

Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat and prayed for courage. That night, when everyone was asleep and Sesshoumaru leaning up against a tree, Kagome took a deep breath and curled near Sesshoumaru – barely a foot away, and smiled when she felt his hand run over her hair.

\\//

As promised, a few days later she rejoined Inuyasha. But, she thought with a smile and a glance over her shoulder. Sesshoumaru had come too. Inuyasha was as prickly as a bear woke up in winter, and grumbled but didn't really do anything. She didn't really get a chance to talk with Sesshoumaru, but he didn't seem to like talking around Inuyasha, so she wasn't worried. She played with Shippo and chatted with Sango and Miroku, who oddly kept his hands to himself, tucked safely into the sleeves of his robe – not even venturing out to touch Sango. Shippo whispered that it was because he didn't want to risk getting in trouble with Sesshoumaru, but Kagome didn't know what that was supposed to mean.

Inuyasha grumbled and moped, but he predictably slinked off at night when Kikyo sent her soul stealers to fetch him. Kagome didn't mind – at this point she'd be retarded if she did, and besides the fact that she was totally in love with Sesshoumaru. She wouldn't – refused – to be like Inuyasha and bounce back and forth, unable to make up his mind. If it ever came down to it, Kagome would choose Sesshoumaru – just like Inuyasha would choose Kikyo.

At night, Sesshoumaru settled away from the group with Jaken. Kagome, Sango, and Rin escaped to the hot springs as soon as he seemed relaxed. Rin shucked her kimono faster than Kagome could blink, and cannon-balled into the hot springs with a squeal. Sango eyed Rin worriedly, in much the same way Kagome had. "Kagome…"

She nodded. "I know. I already talked to Sesshoumaru about it."

Sango's brows rose. "Really? The ice prince with a stick up his ass* speaks words besides 'You're going to die?'"

Giggling, Kagome sunk down low into the water. "Yeah. Believe it or not, but when he gets into the mood he can be pretty talkative."

Noticing the miko's blush, Sango's brows rose higher. "Did you… oh my God, you did, didn't you? You kissed Sesshoumaru!"

Kagome's blush deepened, but in embarrassment. She scowled into the water and muttered, "No."

"No?" Sango echoed. "Then why so happy? I mean, besides seeing me again."

Kagome smiled at that. "Well… I think there's something real here, Sango."

"What do you mean?" Sango asked, dunking quickly under the water.

Kagome started talking, and once she started everything came out in a rush. How she thought Sesshoumaru had been deaf and she confessed everything to him. How he heard everything and _still _didn't kill her. How he almost sounded complimentary when he said she was a rich bitch, how he enjoyed her tea and finally, how he somehow knew about the bet and still didn't kill her. Or even maim or threaten.

Sango sat naked atop a rock and considered her friend thoughtfully (she still didn't believe long baths were healthy) and pursed her lips before smiling. "Kagome, I think he likes you."

"What?" Kagome asked, her eyes wide.

"Well, think about it." The slayer started thoughtfully. "He must have been following you for quite some time. How else would he have heard us make that bet? Then there's the way he practically jumped at the opportunity to travel with us, and how he didn't say a thing when _you _started traveling with _him_."

Sango continued, ticking off her fingers. "You said he gutted and filleted fish for you. Kagome, do you think Sesshoumaru would do that for just anybody? Hell, with the way he carries on you'd think he wouldn't even do that for himself. And he lets you sleep with and take care of Rin – and only you. Rin knows it too, because she doesn't even try it with me or anyone else. He drank what _you _prepared for him. And now he's traveling with us simply because you are."

By the time she was done Kagome was beat red with embarrassment and giddy with excitement. Could it be true…? Could Sesshoumaru actually _like_ her? _Really _like her? She could hardly believe it, but Sango didn't leave out or add anything that would make her feel or think otherwise. She ducked under the water and screamed, letting the water muffle the excited sounds of her happiness. Could she really be so lucky? She stood up with a determined smile. "I'll –" But then she stopped, suddenly uncertain. "Are you sure?"

"She's sure!" Rin chirped, doggy paddling in circles. "Sesshoumaru-sama likes Kagome-chan. Rin can tell."

She didn't need any other reassurance. No one knew Sesshoumaru like Rin, after all.

All she needed now was courage.

\\ //

Kagome found Inuyasha sitting alone outside the circle of the camp fire, and she sat down beside him without a word and curled her legs against her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. Then she leaned over to lean her head against his shoulder. They sat like that in companionable silence, listening to the night sounds and each thinking their private thoughts. Then Inuyasha spoke.

"Do you remember when we first met?" His voice was hushed, almost reverent, as if he didn't want to break the peace of the night.

Kagome smiled. "Yes. I had fallen down the well for the first time, and the first thing I laid eyes on was you. I thought I had been dreaming." Then she gave his shoulder a gentle nudge. "Then you tried to kill me – even after I set you free."

He winced. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that."

Laughing, Kagome scooted closer. It really was quite chilly. "That's when it all began for us. My first day here I managed to shatter a powerful artifact, get attacked by – how many demons?"

"That first week? Who knows? It's been a couple years, ya know." Inuyasha nudged her back. "Mistress Centipede, those damn birds, and that stupid wolf. Everyone wanted a piece of you."

Quite literally, too, Kagome remembered. "Then we met Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara. All of our family. And we can't forget Kaede." She spoke softly, reminiscing. Then she said even softer, "Everything changes, Inuyasha. Everything needs to change."

His eyes dropped to the ground, and Kagome's heart clenched at the sad look on his face. Then he said, "I never thought you were Kikyo."

She turned to him, one eyebrow arched dubiously. "Oh, really? I recall someone telling me to get naked over a bunch of clothes. Priestess clothes."

He blushed. "Yeah, well… yeah. But deep down, I knew. When you really get down to it, you two look nothing alike – and are totally different."

"I'm glad you think that. You have no idea how threatened I used to be, because I thought you'd always think of her when you looked at me." Kagome whispered. "I used to hate her because of that."

Inuyasha didn't even look surprised. "I know."

They were silent; each lost in each others thoughts and company. "I'm really glad I met you, Inuyasha." Kagome said, closing her eyes. "I love you."

Inuyasha turned bright red, but didn't move away from her. "Keh. Isn't there someone else you should be telling that?"

"I already have." Inuyasha's shoulder jerked underneath her cheek, but Kagome didn't look up.

"So he… so you guys…" He couldn't seem to finish his sentence.

"No," Kagome admitted. "I don't know how he feels. He hasn't told me anything." She felt as if Inuyasha were about to say something, so she spoke before he did. "Sango seems to think so. And Rin does too."

Inuyasha couldn't say anything to that. Not even he could doubt Rin. Then he looked down at her, and his voice was quiet and serious. "Then why does this feel like you're saying goodbye?"

"Because I am." She whispered, and wrapped an arm around his to keep him to her side. "In a way. I'm not leaving you right now. But when we get the jewel completed and defeat Naraku… if the well closes up then I'll have to go home. If it doesn't…" She met his eyes. "I'll go with Sesshoumaru."

Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her shoulder to anchor her to his side, then pressed his lips against her forehead. And held her; simply held her. "I love you, too, you know." He grumbled, almost inaudibly.

"I know." Kagome was crying. Then she pulled away and laughed a little as she wiped away her tears. "How silly." She hesitated, then asked in a small voice. "Inuyasha… do you mind? I didn't mean to hurt you. But I can't help what I feel."

He looked away briefly. "I don't know. You've always been there, Kagome. I don't know what'll happen if one day I look over and you're not anymore."

"Things would have to have changed eventually, Inuyasha." Kagome gently reminded him. "When we defeat Naraku and Miroku's curse is broken, he and Sango are going to get married and have a million babies. Shippo will grow up and eventually move away. Kaede, God bless her, will one day pass away. You couldn't have thought that I'd want to stick around with just you and Kikyo. Talk about awkward."

Inuyasha blushed, making Kagome smile. "You know I'll always be there for you, Inuyasha. Always. You know I could never stay away from you."

Inuyasha gave her a small smile. "Yeah. I guess… it's just that it's _Sesshoumaru_." He growled, curling his fingers into a tight fist. "I hate the fucking bastard." He looked down at her, into her eyes, and softened. "But if he's the one to make you happy… You know I'd do anything for you." He looked as if he swallowed a bitter pill. "Even if it means having to deal with that bastard every now and then."

Kagome slipped her hand into his and squeezed. "I knew there was a reason I liked you. You can be so sweet sometimes."

He laughed lightly and hugged her again, a quick, hard squeeze before letting her go. "Kagome…" Inuyasha looked as if he wanted to say one more thing, so she waited, watching him. "You know he lives damn near forever. You don't. How will you… will you be okay? Can you handle that?"

Looking down at her hands, Kagome spoke truthfully. She could never lie to Inuyasha. "I don't know. I think I can." She laughed, but it ended in a hiccup. "Only time will tell."

Inuyasha hugged her again, as if this really was goodbye and he'd never see her again. She didn't stop him; didn't want to. Every time a chapter in life closes and a new one begins, it's scary, hard, and sometimes miserable. Sometimes you said goodbye, and sometimes you never see those beloved people again. And sometimes… sometimes you fall in love, and there's just nothing you can do about that. Things change, and they always will.

Kagome had the feeling that this was the last time they'd ever be together like this, and she thought Inuyasha knew it, too. When he pulled away, his ears were twitching and he sported an annoyed expression. "I think he's waiting for you. Over there." He jerked his head in the direction.

And Kagome went, with a parting smile and Inuyasha's eyes on her back.

She found him in a small grass clearing staring up at the stars. Indeed, it did look as if he'd been waiting for her. She smiled and moved to stand beside him.

"You smell like the half breed." He said, but Kagome only smiled wider at the edge in his voice.

"Yep."

"You've been crying." He stated, his hand reaching for her cheek.

Her heart pounded, but still she said, "Yep."

"You've chosen me." He stroked his thumb down her face, across her lips, making her knees weak.

"Yes." She whispered, smiling again and feeling suddenly shy.

He stared down at her waiting for something, and Kagome didn't wait long to find out what. "The month is almost up."

She swallowed, and then brought a trembling hand up to his chest. "Yes."

"You should kiss me now, before you forget." He reminded her.

"Yes." She whispered again. And did exactly that.

~END~

And there it is.

I'm so glad I finished this story, and that it became such a startling success. I know there hasn't been much Sesshoumaru / Kagome interaction, which is why I've decided to write an epilogue with nothing but one on one action (and maybe a side story of Inuyasha and Kikyo, too. Tell me what you think! It'll be my first attempt at wrtiting a one shot with them as a couple). I might post the epilogue as a separate story or as another chapter, I'm still undecided. What do you think?

And before any of you ask or are wondering – it most likely will not be rated M (and if it is it'd be for language on Inuyasha's part). I think maybe a little lime, but anything heavier will ruin the sweetness of the story, and I don't want that.

*****Seshysgodestris**, that line (if you recognize it from your review in **_Secrets_**), was for you. Lol, when you wrote that you made me laugh, so I had to put it in my story. Thanks!

And remember to review, review, and review! I did post it fast just like you asked for! =^.^=

Luna


	12. Chapter 11

Standard disclaimer applies.

Here's the epilogue folks! It's set after the defeat of Naraku, since everyone knows (or at least those that have read my old stories) that I suck at battle scenes. Severely. Horribly. Words cannot describe how badly I suck at them. So it's set after, and those who are upset can deal. Okay, now I was just going to post it all in one fell swoop, but after the fifteenth page and my patience ending and me being on the verge of doing something horrible to my story (rushing the ending like I usually do when my patience is thin) I decided to do a two-part epilogue instead.

Now, This isnt exactly humerous, like I tried to do the entire story. This story is going to be more realistic (or as reaslistic as Inuyasha can get) and deal with "real-world" problems. Like Sesshoumaru being Sesshoumaru, and what happens when all the glam is removed and she finally gets the opportunity to know what it's really like living with Sesshoumaru. I'll try to add some funny, but it won't be like all the other chapters. If this disappoints you sorry, but I've wracked my brains on how to continue this chapter like all my other chapters and I just couldnt think of anything other than what I wrote below. SO... review and tell me what you think. I want to know if its good or not.

Review!

**The Snowball Effect**

**Epilogue, Part One**

**Happily Ever After?**

**By: Luna**

This, Kagome thought glumly, sucked. Badly.

Since the defeat of Naraku, Kagome had decided to finish the last bit of her school before returning to the Sengoku Era. The well, thankfully, had remained open, allowing her and Inuyasha free access to her time. But she had decided to travel with Sesshoumaru, like she knew she would. And Inuyasha… well, Inuyasha stayed home, at the village with Kaede and Shippo. Kagome had once thought that Kikyo would stay with him, be with him like she had seemed to want so badly for the last few years. Yet she hadn't. She had been in a kind of numbed state when she realized she was a live human again, and then just wandered off after the battle.

Inuyasha had been devastated. They had all thought she had died in the final battle against Naraku, yet once the jewel had been wished upon and everyone had gone back to Kaede's village to rest and recoup, Kikyo had come stumbling out of the trees disoriented. She hadn't seemed able to get out of that state since, and Kagome knows she's out wandering around, going from village to village and helping out like she had when she was the Shikon Jewel's protector. She might come back, Kagome thought sadly, when or if she ever found herself again. Until then, she was sure Inuyasha would wait.

Shippo would be there for him, but for how long was anyone's guess. Kagome had hoped he would come with her when she went with Sesshoumaru, yet the kit had refused -- it seemed his fear and distrust of Sesshoumaru ran deeper than anything he and Kagome shared. It had hurt, deeply, but Kagome would stand by her decision. She knew Shippo was scared of the demon lord. She knew that in some ways he would always hate and fear him. Yet she thought the idea of both her and Rin would sway the little demon, but it hadn't. In the end it might have been better, at least for Inuyasha, but Kagome was a little lonely. Sesshoumaru was not the best of company, and he was starkly different from what she was used to when she traveled with her friends.

Like Sango and Miroku. After years of pussy-footing around, Miroku had finally flat out told her he loved her, and she would marry him and have as many children as possible -- and have a good time making them, too. Sango agreed, of course. It figured the slayer -- the most athletic and tough girl out of the two of them, would get moved by a caveman proposal like that. Little Kohaku had stayed with Shippo and Inuyasha after the ceremony, but it was temporary.

The newly weds had taken off for a short honeymoon at a hot spring, determined to spend as much time alone as possible until they had to come back for Kohaku. Then, they would go back the Slayers' village and tear down the remaining structures, then build a memorial. They told Kagome they planned on coming back and living in the village with Kaede and Inuyasha, but Kagome didn't know if they really would. Sango might change her mind and stay in her village instead. Who knew?

And as for Kagome… Well, she was starting to feel just the teensiest bit of doubt.

Sesshoumaru, for all his declarations about her having to kiss him before the month was up, seemed to be steadfastly refusing to even look at her even after the deadline came and went, her bet won and Sango's lost.

But Sesshoumaru was still steadfastly refusing to look at her.

Why, she didn't know. She had even tried various attempts at catching his attention. Once, she had ran up to him to hold his newly acquired hand and tried to start up a conversation -- only to be quickly shaken off and left in the dust. Then she had tried talking to him while she ate dinner (which he had thankfully provided her) and he had made a point of looking away and showing a good display of disinterest. Finally, she had just thrown a rock at his head. That had got a reaction out of him, but the result had been a very nasty snarl and complete eye avoidance as well as no words exchanged.

Kagome was hurt, confounded, and seriously starting to get pissed off.

Who did he think he was? She had left everything for him. Inuyasha, Shippo, her family back home, and even old Kaede who would need help around the village as she grew even older. She had stopped herself from asking to go back and visit home because she feared angering him even more after the rock incident. So finally, against Kagome's very nature, she had just resorted to staying quiet. Well, not completely. She played with Rin and amused herself by playing pranks on Jaken, but besides the occasional glances at Sesshoumaru, she said not one word to him.

In fact, if he didn't break this self imposed silence, Kagome had already determined that she would just leave him. No man was worth this much trouble and heartbreak, Kagome thought to herself with a sniff. In fact, she shouldn't have even given all of herself when there had been so little in return from the get-go. He didn't laugh with her, didn't talk to her, didn't even look in her direction anymore. Hell, the man didn't even _breath _in her direction anymore, Kagome was sure of it. Why? It both hurt and confounded her. She didn't understand him, and he wasn't giving her any room to find out, either.

So, she would leave him.

All this stress, all this worry, was not worth loss of self. She didn't even remember the last time she laughed, really laughed, and it both worried and infuriated her. She couldn't believe how much she had given of herself, and how little she had allowed in return. Not even with Inuyasha had the giving been so absolute.

But with Sesshoumaru, well, leaving him would be tricky. She wasn't sure if he'd reject her leaving and try to stop her, or even deign to glance over his shoulder if she simply stopped walking one day and watched the group disappear over the horizon. She knew the landscape like the back of her hand after so many years traversing over it, and she could find her way back home quickly. Might even bump into friends along the way.

But she found that in this way she was a coward, and she just couldn't bear the thought that Sesshoumaru would just let her walk away. So she would wait until a night where he would disappear wherever he disappeared to and tell Rin (which she assumed included herself as well) to stay exactly where she was, and to tell Jaken to watch out for them. Then she would disappear, too. In the opposite direction.

It wouldn't be unusual for her to keep her belongings packed, her jacket and boots on. They wouldn't think anything if she just said she wanted to take a bath, since that was one luxury she wouldn't allow even him to dismiss. She wanted baths, and often, and had always left to take them whether or not he planned on camping. She would be joining Inuyasha and Shippo soon, she thought with relief, and started whistling a song from back in her time, happy for the first time that day.

That earned a glance over the shoulder from Sesshoumaru, but she only noted it and dismissed it. She stopped caring what his glances meant after an entire month of being ignored. And yet…

The whistling slowed, as did her steps. And yet. She still loved him. She didn't know why, and she hated it. Those small glances did matter, no matter how much she told herself they didn't. She sped up the whistling again, determined to cheer herself up. After a while, she even started singing. She had always liked to sing, and wasn't half bad at it, either. But she still kept the tune quiet and just above a whisper, a little shy since she never really sang in front of Sesshoumaru before. His steps might have slowed a bit, but he still didn't say anything, so Kagome kept on singing until that turned into a hum, and she contented herself with thoughts of seeing Inuyasha and her friends again.

"Kagome-chan?" Came Rin's bashful whisper.

"Hmm?" Kagome hummed, still walking with a little skip in her step.

"Has… has anything happened recently?" The girl asked, and Kagome blinked down at her in confusion. Rin elaborated, "Kagome-chan seems happy today." Another bashful smile. "Rin hasn't seen it in a long time."

Kagome stopped, and vaguely noticed that Sesshoumaru did too. He even turned around to stare at them, but Kagome's eyes were focused on Rin's. She thought of seeing Inuyasha again, of little Shippo that wouldn't be so little in the future, and of the aging Kaede. And her smile brightened, because she wanted so bad to be around what she knew that the thought of being there soon cheered her all over again. "Because I am happy, Rin-chan. At least today."

She hadn't realized how hollow that sounded until she said it, but she forced her smile not to dim as she kept on walking, and continued even after she passed Sesshoumaru, his eyes hot and suspicious on her back. That night, she figured she'd try and cross the bridge between her and Sesshoumaru one more time before giving up. They sat around their campfire and Rin, Jaken, and herself munched on the venison Sesshoumaru brought back for them.

Kagome took a deep breath and stood, walking casually to Sesshoumaru's side. She sat down next to him and drew her knees to her chest before wrapping her arms around them, kicking her heels a little so she rocked. Then she said, "Hey, Sesshoumaru."

If she expected a response, she didn't get one. So she tried again. "Do you know that back home, my mom would probably be serving my favorite dish of oden right about now. My birthday is coming up, after all. The big one-nine. Almost legal in other countries, you know."

She didn't even look this time to see if he was paying attention, but she wanted so badly to share herself, to have him know her and love her in the same way she loved him, that she kept on going, her eyes glued resolutely to the ground. "Souta is probably practicing for the big game -- soccer, you know, and is trying really hard to be the best. There's this girl he's trying to impress, you see. Grandpa will still be hitting on girls my age and trying to exorcise ghosts that are no longer there, and the shrine will look absolutely beautiful with spring bursting all around it."

"You live on a shrine, Kagome-chan?" Rin asked after a quick glance at Sesshoumaru.

Kagome smiled, warming to the memory of her home. "Yes. I am a miko, you know." Funny how only now that made sense. "It's beautiful. Most would think that the bold red and traditional lines of the shrine would get old after a while, but I never tire of it. Love changes everything." In more ways than one. "I love the shrine, and I love my family. That keeps it from never getting old."

She leaned forward a little, and grinned when Rin scooted in closer as if they were exchanging secrets. "The God Tree is so very lush and full, so filled with memories of the past and the future that can't wait to happen. Cars go by, so loud and noisy, yet when I'm home I find I can't sleep without them. They sky's not so blue as it is here, but the flowers still smell so sweet." She sighed, nostalgic, and wondered at the burn of Sesshoumaru's eyes on hers.

Then she stopped, opened her eyes, and realized she never told Sesshoumaru that she was from the future. She turned to him them, studied the eyes that studied her, and knew she never would. Not as long as he didn't give a little, and not as long as she still planned to disappear back into her time. Away from this place to give her a little time to think while ensconced in her family's love, but most importantly time away from him. She needed to decide whether or not staying with him was the right thing to do. She loved him, yes, but she needed more than what he was giving her.

She wasn't worried that he'd follow after her immediately, if he chose to. When Sesshoumaru disappeared on his little missions, he was often gone for days, and poor little Rin would still stay in the _exact spot _she was in when he left, just because he told her to and she was so firm in her belief that he'd come back for her. For them. And of course, he always would. It would just take him a couple of days to remember.

And give her a couple of days to disappear.

She brought her eyes back to the fire, so the suspicion in Sesshoumaru's eyes wouldn't sharpen anymore. She continued, her voice light. "I think you would like it there, Rin-chan."

Rin's eyes brightened. "Really? Can Rin visit there sometime?"

"I'm afraid that would be impossible, Rin-chan." Kagome said sadly, and hurried to explain when Rin's eyes drooped, disappointed. "I live on an island, and it would take a long, long time to get there." Ain't that the truth. "Even Inuyasha rarely lets me go home."

"The half-breed refuses to let you go home?" Sesshoumaru asked very quietly, and Kagome's heart skipped a beat the voice that she hadn't heard in so long. So low, so sexy. It was dark and whispered across her skin like silk. She hoped he didn't sense her reaction to him just by his voice.

"Yes," Kagome said, a little breathless, and turned her wide blue eyes to his golden ones. Then she corrected herself. "Well, only sometimes. He used to say it took too long for me to get back, and he hated that I took my time whenever I went there."

Sesshoumaru sniffed. "The half breed does not know what it takes to keep his pack happy."

"Yes, well, neither do you." Kagome hadn't meant to say that, and resolutely kept her eyes to the ground as Rin gasped and gaped at her, and Sesshoumaru stiffened beside her. He stood abruptly and Kagome felt his glare, but he only turned and left the camp. Kagome's eyes filled with tears, because she had ruined the perfect opportunity to keep him talking. Now he was angry at her, and she would have rather left him indifferent than angry.

Rin scooted close to her side and snuggled into the arm Kagome wrapped around her small shoulders. "It's okay, Kagome-chan, Rin let's things slip too sometimes."

"Like what?" Kagome doubted the child was ever unhappy with her plot in life, and wondered what she could have possibly been upset about.

"Like when Lord Sesshoumaru wouldn't let Kohaku-chan travel with us anymore. Rin thought that most unfair, and told Lord Sesshoumaru so." Rin still sounded annoyed with it, and Kagome looked down in surprise to see a slight frown on the child's face.

"Rin," Kagome said with a smile, feeling amused by the child's petulance, and ruffled her hair. "Kohaku wanted to stay behind. He had been separated from his sister too long to want to be away from her now. You shouldn't be upset with Sesshoumaru because of that."

Rin frowned up at Kagome in confusion. "But you are unhappy with Lord Sesshoumaru, aren't you? That's why you voiced your complaint?"

Kagome looked away and stared into the fire grimly, but pasted on a smile for Rin's sake. No reason to cause mutiny, Kagome thought with a sigh. She didn't want to tack on another reason for Sesshoumaru to be angry at her. "The only reason I said that is because I wanted him to know how I was feeling. I miss my friends, and this is a very hard adjustment for me. It's not as if he's making it any easier for me."

Rin looked surprised. "But he is! You just haven't been listening."

Turning to stare down at the child dryly, Kagome raised a brow. "Come again?"

Understanding shone in Rin's eyes, and Kagome realized for the first time that maybe Rin had grown up more than her age had allowed. "You mean Kagome-chan doesn't know?" She asked surprised. "Lord Sesshoumaru asks for Kagome-chan's attention all the time! But you always ignore him."

When Kagome only stared at her, Rin just nodded. "It's true. Rin sees it all the time." She cocked her head to the side and added. "I think you just need to read more demon."

"Or Sesshoumaru read more human." Kagome grumbled, and was rewarded when Rin burst into giggles.

"It's _Lord Sesshoumaru_," Rin gasped, and started giggling again.

Grudgingly, Kagome smiled, but her mind was racing. She remembered the book she had loaned from the library, the one about dog behaviors, and wondered if she should check it out one more time. Well, if she ever was able to get back to her time, anyways. Had Sesshoumaru truly been trying to communicate with her this entire time? If that were true and it had been Kagome who ignored the demon lord, than it was Kagome's fault for his current mood and withdrawal.

Which made her feel totally like a heel.

Sesshoumaru was probably very upset with her. But hadn't he tried talking with her tonight? Could that have been his attempt (as Rin would call it) to 'read' more human? And Kagome had blown it once again, by telling him he made her unhappy. Despairingly, Kagome dropped her forehead to her knees to hide the prick of tears. She had caused her own unhappiness. She thought it very ironic.

But Rin whispered to her the secret of reading demon, and explained as best she could how to read Sesshoumaru. It was then that Kagome realized how smart little Rin was, and wondered just how it was that she knew Sesshoumaru so well. She didn't know exactly when Rin met up with the demon lord, for it wasn't as if Inuyasha ever kept track of him, so it was hard to tell. But in the four years that Kagome knew Rin had been with him, she had learned to read him very well. Knew enough to gauge his expressions (Kagome didn't know had had anything other than the Glare of Death) to what was happening when he held really still to when he yelled (which Kagome couldn't imagine either). She still wanted that book from the future, however, and was determined to get it no matter what.

She waited as long as she could that night, but Sesshoumaru never reappeared. And they waited the next day too, and the next, and then Kagome decided that this was the perfect opportunity to go home and get that book. Sesshoumaru would probably never try reading human again after her rebuke, so she would just try to read more dog. Hopefully he wouldn't come back to camp while she was away, because then he'd really be upset with her.

That night she snuck out of camp quickly, with only Ah Un her witness. The beast chirped in confusion and tried to follow her, but Kagome hushed him and motioned for him to wait. The beast did, confused, and she quickly ran into the forest. She wondered if it had been the greatest idea to leave in the cover of darkness, but she knew Rin would be likely to tattle, and then Jaken would leave to find Sesshoumaru to tattle to him, and then she'd be in really big trouble. It was best to disappear and be back before Sesshoumaru, that a way she could pretend to be ignorant when Jaken tried to get her in trouble.

They were closer to the well than she had thought -- only about ten miles -- and she made it just as the sun was starting to peak over the mountains. She wanted to go and visit Inuyasha, but didn't know how much time she had before Sesshoumaru got back, so she jumped into the well without hesitation. She felt the soothing rush of magic engulf her, and was so relieved when her feet touched soft soil, and her nose breathed in the smells of the city.

She grinned broadly and climbed up the ladder, breezing into her home as fast as she could. She spent more time than she should have -- the whole day -- with her family, eating all her favorite foods and catching up her family on everything that had happened -- including her now traveling with Inuyasha's brother, Sesshoumaru. She told herself that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be coming back to camp for a while anyways, so it was okay to stay here for the day, and even visited her friends and walked with them to the library, laughing with them and ignoring Yuki's rolled eyes when she checked out the same book as last time, including a few others.

Finally, as the sun started setting and she was practically dead on her feet after being awake for twenty-four hours, Kagome stepped towards the well house, dreading the ten miles she would have to hike.

"Kagome!"

Groaning, thinking this was the worst thing that could happen, Kagome turned towards Hojo and waved at him half-heartedly. "Evening Hojo."

"Whew, I'm so glad to see you!" Hojo exclaimed, his face, still boyishly handsome, smiling in genuine happiness. "Every time I came over you have been sick, and then just last week I was told you went away for college."

Kagome blinked, thinking that for once they gave her a good excuse other than a life threatening disease. But Hojo was shaking his head, still smiling. "But then I knew that you wouldn't have left without saying goodbye, so I was coming to see you again. I'm glad I was able to see you."

Thinking that this was the most forward he's ever been, Kagome started hedging back towards the well house, laughing a little nervously. "Yes, well, here I am!"

Hojo took a step forward, and Kagome blinked when she had to crane her neck up to look at him. "Goodness, Hojo, when did you get so tall?"

His smiled deepened, showing a dimple, and Kagome was gaping now. This was no high school boy before her, she thought. This was a man. Had all her friends grew up without her noticing? Sadly, she knew they all had. Just like she had without them. Hojo caught one of her hands and squeezed, staring adoringly down at her. Kagome's unease intensified, turning her stomach. "Kagome," He started. "There was a reason I came to find you." He started speaking again, but Kagome was too busy looking for an escape to pay any attention.

Kagome looked around, desperate for an escape, when his last words caught her by surprise, and she looked at him dumfounded. "What?"

"I said I'm getting married." He laughed at her expression, then added. "And I'm going away for college, too. You probably won't see me for a long, long time."

Foolishly, Kagome's eyes filled up with tears. Not because he was getting married, or even that he was moving away. But because once again a friend of hers had grown up without her, and everything happened while she was away. She wondered why they even bothered staying friends with her, but was still thankful. "Thank you for telling me, Hojo. I am so, so happy for you."

He sighed happily. "She's so much like you, you know." Then he frowned, as if just now noticing her tears. Gently, he brought a hand up and touched her cheek. His eyes were a little sad. "You haven't been happy lately, have you? I know your diseases have kept you away, but you should be happy you're finally in good health to be able to go to college."

Kagome resisted the urge to laugh hysterically, wondering why she was feeling so much out of sorts all of a sudden. It was exhaustion, she thought. She really was tired. Hojo said so too, as he swept his thumb gently under one eye. "You should get some rest, Kagome."

She realized that he probably lied about getting married, because he still held her hand and his eyes were so intent on her face. Slowly, so slowly, he leaned down until he kissed her, and Kagome held still, waiting.

She waited for that burst of feeling, that explosion of desire that had flooded her body the moment Sesshoumaru's lips touched hers, but all she felt was relief that it could, after all, be only Sesshoumaru. Hojo leaned back with a wry expression on his face, and his eyes were relieved too. "Well, I'm glad that's out of the way. I was afraid I'd never be able to move on if I didn't know how that felt. We'd never have been more than friends, huh Kagome?"

Weakly, Kagome shook her head. "I don't think so. And I don't think your fiancé would have liked you to do that, either."

He laughed, shook his head. "No, probably not. But I think Suzuki would have been even more upset if she thought that I still dreamed about you. Do you have someone?"

Looking away, Kagome frowned. "Sort of. I think I might have bungled things up though."

Hojo stepped away, still smiling, and cocked his head to the side. "How so?"

"He thinks I'm not communicative enough." Which was as close to the truth as she was getting. It was still _Hojo _she was talking to, after all. She stepped away, too. "In fact, I think I need to get back to him."

She paused, looking back at Hojo, his suddenly manly body highlighted by the setting sun. "You don't think that constitutes as cheating, does it?"

Hojo raised his brow. "No. I've kissed Ayumi once or twice when our families had dinner together, and it was always in friendship. I think it's only cheating if there's sexual tension involved." He grinned, handsome. "In our case, it felt as though I were kissing my sister."

Relieved, Kagome nodded, then hurried back to the well house, not even thinking if Hojo thought that was weird. "Keep in touch!" She called over her shoulder. "I want to know all about college!"

Then she shut the door before Hojo could respond, and practically swan dived into the well in her haste to get back. When she came out the other end, she quickly climbed out, wanting to get back at camp and collapse before exhaustion took its toll more than it already had. But she abruptly stopped, looking uneasily around the clearing. It was quiet.

_Too _quiet.

She ran to the village, not stopping even as her body tingled as if she went through a barrier -- or a demon's youki. Gasping, she ran even faster, until she skidded to a halt outside the village, where Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru stared each other down. The air crackled with electricity -- Sesshoumaru's, no doubt -- as the two brothers glared.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome cried, relieved. In her haste to get away from him, she hadn't counted on how much seeing him would make her happy. Sesshoumaru's gaze snapped to hers, as did Inuyasha's. Had they not sensed her?

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, startled. "You smell like a…"

"_Man_." Sesshoumaru snarled, and took a threatening step towards her. Inuyasha was there in a flash, and then the two men were snarling at each other and grasping at their swords.

Confused, Kagome looked down at herself and sniffed at her clothes. She still smelt oden on her. Could it have been Hojo? But he didn't touch anything on her except her hand and her… Blushing, Kagome suddenly dropped her bag and stomped between the two demons, glaring at Sesshoumaru since Inuyasha was just trying to protect her.

"Will you stop?" She demanded. "All I did was go back home!"

"Without _my _permission." Sesshoumaru snarled again, making Inuyasha shift uneasily on his feet, indecision on his face.

"Yeah without your permission!" Kagome cried, facing him fully and glaring at him. "You who disappeared without a by-your-leave for who knew how long! I needed to go home."

"And come back smelling like a _human_." Sesshoumaru growled again.

That stopped her. Confused, Kagome drew back. "Of course like a human. Have you forgotten what I am?"

Inuyasha groaned beside her, and she looked at him, confused when she saw he was blushing. Inuyasha ran a hand wearily down his face. "Kagome, Sesshoumaru probably put his scent all over you. Marking you," Inuyasha added at Kagome's confused stare. "As his. Just as I used to do whenever you rode on my back."

Dawning of realization made her face turn pink, but she only sighed as she remembered how tired she was. Like Inuyasha, she ran a hand over her face tiredly. "Can we go now?" She asked Sesshoumaru softly. "I really am tired." She looked over at Inuyasha, noticing with concern that he was too. Too tired; as if he hadn't slept in days. "We all need to get some rest."

She'd come back later, she vowed, when things were sorted with her and Sesshoumaru, so she could check up on Inuyasha. It was unusual to see any dark circles under his eyes, after all. She assumed that Sesshoumaru accepted her sudden concession, for he snarled before turning on his heel and walking out of the village and disappearing into the forest. Kagome looked at Inuyasha, her eyes softening in concern. "Are you all right? You don't look so good."

Inuyasha stared at her, indecision warring in his eyes, before he sighed and gently grasped her shoulders, steering her in the direction Sesshoumaru went. "You need to go to him. He wont be so easy to placate."

She reached up and touched his hand before he could remove it, and stared at him from over her shoulder. "Rest, Inuyasha. Everything happens for a reason."

He pointedly looked where Sesshoumaru disappeared and raised a wry brow. "Everything?"

"It'll just make us stronger." Kagome said with conviction, making her believe it. Like Rin, she was feeling too much older than her almost-nineteen years.

"Get some rest." She said again, then scooped up her bag and jogged after Sesshoumaru.

When she finally caught sight of him, she put in an extra effort and ran faster until she reached his side. Her eyes felt too heavy, but she didn't stop walking with him, even though her feet dragged. "Sesshoumaru…"

He growled low, and Kagome knew it was a warning so she kept quiet. When they reached camp, Kagome spread out her sleeping bag and went to settle into it, when suddenly Sesshoumaru clamped a hand around her arm and hauled her out of it, giving her a shake that made her jaw snap.

"_You will not ignore me._" He snarled, his face so close to hers.

Kagome didn't know what he was talking about, and he seemed to see her confusion, for he growled again. But this time he slammed her against him, his arms holding her so hard she squeaked. She didn't question it, merely wrapped her arms around him and held on for all she was worth, because she hadn't been held by him for so long. Even when she was back home, she realized, she wouldn't let anyone really touch her other than hold her hand. As if all this time of Sesshoumaru not touching her somehow made her… not uneasy, but not used to contact. She wouldn't let it happen again.

She buried her face into his chest, and felt it vibrating underneath her chin and realized Sesshoumaru was humming something -- or just growling really low. Whatever it was, it instantly soothed her, and she relaxed in his hold. He pulled back, and whatever he had done seemed to please him, for his face looked almost smug.

"So you are able to learn." He said, and reached up a hand to tip her chin back, exposing her neck, before he bent down to give the exposed skin a little nip. Kagome jumped and went to move away, but Sesshoumaru held fast and gave her another one, as if in punishment. She stilled, slowly starting to understand. He did it again as if just to prove a point, before his voice murmured in her ear. "That was for daring to think you can leave me." Another nip, and Kagome jumped again with a little cry. "And that was for coming back smelling different." Another, much harder. "And that was for not even telling me where it was you came back from."

But then his tongue laved at the spot, making Kagome jump for a different reason, and his voice once again whispered in her ear. "That was for staying with me for as long as you have, even though I knew you wouldn't understand." He did it again, ending with a soft kiss, before trailing his lips up her neck to lay them against her own. "That was for not staying with Inuyasha like I thought you would have."

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, but he quickly bent down to bite her neck again, this time staying there until she whimpered. He let go slowly, enjoying himself, before he once again kissed the spot. He pulled back and Kagome felt his hand delving into her hair, cupping the back of her head, before he directed her face to rest against his neck under his chin, and commanded in a very gentle voice. "Now apologize to me."

Not knowing what she was doing, she hesitantly nuzzled her nose against his chin, and was rewarded by his pleased growl. She did it again, experimenting, and then gave his skin a soft kiss. He relaxed, his arms softening, and pulled her face away just enough to whisper in her ear. "Forgiven."

"Kiss me," Kagome asked, hating that her voice came out so pleading, but still couldn't help but ask again. "Kiss me…"

He did, and there it was. That explosion of color, that burst of feeling so deep that it left her shaken, and wanting more. She reached up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, putting everything she had into the kiss, and was rewarded when she felt herself being laid down, still intertwined with Sesshoumaru, on her sleeping bag. He broke the kiss to nuzzle at her temple before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Go to sleep, Kagome."

She blinked hazy eyes up at him. "Huh?"

Her only answer was to feel his chest start to rumble again, and she was relieved when he didn't move away from her except to lay by her side and pull her up against him, that soft purring rumbling away that quickly melted her bones and made her fall quickly, quietly, into slumber.

~*~

I'm not going to do a lemon, just in case you guys are wondering.

Click that button below, please, and tell me what you think!

Luna


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